All parties spoke out against a vaccine mandate in the Chamber on Thursday. However, the governing parties and the CSV plan to put an informal bill in motion, to be used if the situation becomes urgent.
The DP, LSAP, Greens and the CSV agreed there was a distinct need to be prepared for the autumn and winter, should the situation become critical and risk putting pressure on hospitals. An informal bill is now likely to be submitted to undergo the relevant legislative procedures.
Contrary to the expert recommendations given earlier in July, the majority parties and the CSV are now opposed to compulsory vaccination against Covid-19, in an about-turn from their stance at the start of the year. Déi Lénk, the ADR and the Pirate Party have been firmly against mandatory vaccination since it was first mooted in parliament back in January.
The justification for the government's U-turn is that the situation has changed, and they must not lose sight of the proportionality of a vaccine mandate. It is not merely a cause for medical arguments, but also legal and socio-political arguments, they said.
MPs in the Chamber also made reference to the expert advice which recommended that staff in the health and care sectors should be made to share their vaccination status with upper management in the future. The CSV said this measure could prove useful with regard to other infectious illness, thus protecting more vulnerable people. However, the government was reluctant to commit to such measures. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel deemed it necessary to verify the legality of implementing such a measure.
Several MPs belonging to the ADR and déi Lénk also called for a “pandemic” law. The Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert, pointed out that there was already an extremely detailed law in Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy is also due to participate in an OECD evaluation, which will compare the experiences of different countries and draw conclusions based on these.
