PM Bettel confirms no mandatory Covid vaccines - for now

On Tuesday the expert panel recommended mandatory Covid vaccines for over-50s if a new variant emerges. Bettel welcomed the views of the expert panel, but noted that circumstances have changed since January when the virus was last at its peak.

The prime minister stated that mandatory vaccination would only be justified in order to prevent a crisis in the healthcare sector, and that for the time being the conditions for introducing such a mandate were not met.

Bettel said that a vaccine mandate is only justified if a majority of society supports it and if it is the only solution to the current situation. The prime minister added that the current circumstances do not support mandatory vaccination. While the Omicron variant spreads faster than previous variants, it is also less dangerous.

Nonetheless, Bettel stressed the importance of vaccination in protecting the elderly in particular. He noted that it was "impossible" to say if a more dangerous variant would emerge in the autumn, but that the government would only be able to justify compulsory vaccinations if the situation demanded it.

The prime minister said that Luxembourg must be prepared for the upcoming autumn and winter, and that he would not rule out introducing a vaccine mandate "at a later date".

For this reason, the draft bill for a vaccine mandate will still be "informally tabled". This means that following the debate next week, the Chamber of Deputies and the Council of State will be asked for their opinions on the draft bill.

What would justify a vaccine mandate?

Justice minister Sam Tanson outlined the circumstances under which a vaccine mandate may be introduced.

She noted that as an intervention in a citizen's private life, the bar must be set high. Namely: the goal of the vaccine mandate must be clearly defined; it must be possible to realistically achieve this goal; and, the situation must justify it.

Tanson added that the experts' opinion is "very nuanced", thus for a vaccine mandate to be effective close to 100% of the target demographic (of over-50s) must be fully vaccinated, that is, all doses would have to be administered.

According to Tanson, at this stage such a goal is simply not achievable. This does not mean, though, that "vaccines don't work" or that the government is "leaving everyone to their own devices".

Given this, health minister Paulette Lenert emphasised that the government is still encouraging people to get vaccinated. She noted that despite high infection numbers, Luxembourg's hospitals are not yet overrun.

Lenert said that an unvaccinated person's risk from Covid-19 is 20 times higher than that of a vaccinated person. Nonetheless, she cautioned that highly vulnerable individuals will "never be fully protected" from Covid-19 and should remain careful while infection numbers are high.

How would the vaccine mandate work?

Tanson revealed that if a mandate was introduced, the penalty for violating it would be 150 euros per month.

She admitted there was a discrepancy with cross-border workers, as a potential vaccine mandate would affect only Luxembourg residents who are aged over 50.

Lenert hinted that vaccine registers may be introduced to ensure transparency, especially in order to provide reliable information on the vaccination status of cross-border health workers.

Tanson said that the vaccine mandate would be monitored through a national database, in order to check who has or has not been vaccinated.

Bettel added that the mandate would only be introduced in response to an emergency situation, with Lenert acknowledging that this meant the window to bring in such a measure would be "very short".

What about new vaccines?

Lenert said that vaccination centres are ready to open up again, if and when new vaccines arrive.

She noted that if new vaccines arrive and there is evidence that they reduce the spread significantly, the government will consider reintroducing CovidCheck rules in the winter.