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Loss of earnings for the unvaccinated: What working people should consider

2021-09-22T13:00:48.770Z


From November at the latest, only those who have been vaccinated should be compensated for the loss of salary if they have to be quarantined. Answers to the most important questions from working people.


Enlarge image

Defends the planned end of compensation for unvaccinated people who have to be in quarantine: Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn

Photo: Rene Traut / imago images

In the event of a loss of earnings in the event of a corona quarantine, the state has so far stepped in first. In the past few weeks, however, more and more politicians have spoken out in favor of abolishing this claim for unvaccinated people - the first federal states have already implemented this, and more are now following suit: Unvaccinated people should no longer receive compensation if they have to be in quarantine by November 1 at the latest. The majority of the federal and state health ministers agreed on this in a decision on Wednesday, which was submitted to the German Press Agency.

The regulation is basically in line with what already applies to other diseases, but there would be great leeway at the time of this change.

It cannot be denied that with the elimination of compensation, the pressure in everyday life increases on people who refuse a corona vaccination.

What has been the case so far and what should change?

An overview of important questions and answers.

Which cases of quarantine are you talking about?

If

infection is suspected,

for example as a contact person for infected people, the health department can order that you have to go into quarantine - and not be able to go to the office or the company.

However, this is becoming an increasingly important issue for people who have not yet been vaccinated.

Quarantine requirements usually do not apply to fully vaccinated people.

Who has paid the compensation so far and who has received it?

So far, employees who do not work because of ordered quarantine and therefore suffered financial losses have been able to receive compensation

receive.

Specifically, the employer makes advance payments for the payment - and can then request the money back from the state at the responsible authority.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the following applies to the payment:

Compensation for the full amount of the loss can be

granted

for

six weeks

.

At the beginning of the seventh week, compensation of 67 percent of the loss of earnings can still be granted - for a full month, however, a maximum amount of 2016 euros.

What should change now?

The Infection Protection Act already contains exceptions for non-vaccinated people - they just haven't been applied yet.

It says there is no entitlement to compensation if the ordered quarantine could have been avoided through a publicly recommended vaccination.

The same applies if you have made an »avoidable trip« to a corona risk area with high numbers of infections abroad.

If you return sick or as a suspected case, travelers are

responsible for the consequences of quarantine or isolation

.

Why should the compensation no longer be paid out?

The argument

goes

: in the meantime, every citizen has received a

vaccination offer

, so quarantine and financial losses simply no longer have to be. Bavaria's head of department Klaus Holetschek, who is also chairman of the health ministers' conference, recently made it clear: If there are no health reasons against a vaccination, he no longer sees any reason for

taxpayers to

shoulder

compensation for loss of earnings

. Everyone can get vaccinated and avoid quarantine, the CSU politician told ARD.

Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) had also shown sympathy for such a line.

It is like free tests that are financed by taxpayers: He does not see "why others should pay in the long run if someone does not opt ​​for the free vaccination even though he could," said Federal Health Minister Spahn.

What about people who are not advised to have a vaccination for medical reasons?

They are

not affected

by the change

.

In Section 56 paragraph 1 of the Infection Protection Act states that only those who get no compensation that would have their quarantine by a recommended vaccination avoid

can

.

Anyone who cannot be vaccinated, for example because of an autoimmune disease, is not

one of

them and is still entitled to compensation.

In which federal states are there already advances?

The ministers' deliberations were about a nationwide uniform line.

Because actually the countries decide on the quarantine compensation for unvaccinated people - which leads to the patchwork of regulations that many complain about.

Baden-Württemberg was the first state to stop compensation - and implemented it from September 15.

The state government justified the point in time by stating that everyone had an opportunity for a vaccination by mid-September.

Rhineland-Palatinate wants to implement this on October 1st.

In Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the governments are planning similar steps in October.

Should the wages no longer be paid in the event of a Covid 19 infection?

No.

"It is about wage compensation for contact persons of infected people in quarantine - not about continued payment of wages in the event of illness," emphasized a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health.

"Anyone who

becomes

infected is sick and has the

right to continued payment of wages

." If an employee

falls ill

with Corona, payments will continue - even for those who have not been vaccinated.

What speaks against it if unvaccinated people are no longer compensated?

The new regulation increases the pressure on those who have not been vaccinated - the social debate is correspondingly heated.

The social association VdK rejects the plans: "The loss of earnings in a quarantine must be paid regardless of the vaccination status," says VdK President Verena Bentele.

She pointed out that there is rightly

no general compulsory vaccination

. So it shouldn't have any "existence-threatening consequences" if, for example, the chronically ill decided against a vaccination because the effects of a vaccination on their health could not yet be assessed. However, in such cases it should apply that these people could not be vaccinated and therefore still receive compensation. In practice, however, there are likely to be

borderline cases

, which leads to

uncertainty

. Especially people with poor health and poor people would be hit hard by the cancellation of the loss of earnings, warned Bentele.

The chairman of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), Reiner Hoffmann, spoke on Deutschlandfunk of a "

mandatory vaccination through the back door

". In his view, the conflict about compulsory corona vaccination will be shifted to employees and companies. In case of doubt, sensitive health data would also have to be disclosed here as to why employees could not have themselves vaccinated. It is an imperative of solidarity to be vaccinated, but not with the instrument of canceling the compensation, said Hoffmann. Verdi boss Frank Werneke told the newspapers of the Funke media group: "Politics says that vaccination should remain voluntary."

SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach also criticizes the course.

He fears that the risk of loss of salary will result in those affected

hiding

the

quarantine orders that apply to them

.

This would not help anyone, because infected contact persons could continue to infect other people.

dpa / mamk / faq

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2021-09-22

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