Lawmakers in Germany rejected a proposal to implement a plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for nearly all adults aged 60 and older, which was backed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
In a statement after the vote, Lauterbach claimed that rejecting the mandate would spark a COVID-19 outbreak in the fall and winter months.
Scholz, who recently became chancellor after Angela Merkel retired, hasn’t issued a public statement on the matter.
Those who voted against the mandate argued that the policy isn’t necessary and noted that Germany’s health care system isn’t overwhelmed with COVID-19 hospital patients.
Daily infections are at a high level in Germany, but have dipped in the past week or so, with 201,729 new cases reported on April 7.
A member of the Free Democratic Party, Wolfgang Kubicki, said vaccines won’t “help us reach herd immunity” and noted that it was unlawful to force adults to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel told other lawmakers that the compulsory vaccination policy is “not just radically hostile to the constitution, but a totalitarian measure.” She said a compromise on an earlier vaccine mandate for all adults—not just those aged 60 and older—is a “trojan horse” to consider more draconian policies.
Scholz was forced last week to drop plans for mandatory vaccinations for those aged 18 years and older as he couldn’t muster a parliamentary majority.
The policy proved to be controversial, drawing tens of thousands of protesters in Vienna and in other parts of Austria. Critics said the mandate would have greatly infringed on Austrians’ civil liberties and would have expanded government surveillance.
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