The federal-state conference has decided to end free corona citizen tests. This should encourage those who are not vaccinated to rethink. The right way? Commentators are not convinced of this. The press review.
The most effective weapon against the approaching autumn pandemic is vaccination. But the campaign has stalled in this country – due to vaccination opponents, vaccine muffle or vaccine lazy. There are practically no arguments against the vaccine after the substances have proven their tolerance and effectiveness millions of times around the world. Should society still bear the test costs for those who simply do not want to participate in the fight against the pandemic? The federal-state conference said no to that. But didn’t it also weaken a weapon against the virus?
This is what the press commentators say about the decisions of the Chancellor and Prime Minister.
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”:
“Billions of people around the world would be grateful for the injection that millions and millions of privileged Europeans disdain, whether out of laziness or indifference, out of medical or state skepticism. So how do you deal with so much irrationality, even ingratitude? (…) Most promise Federal and state governments from the deterrent effect of a kind of two-class society. Much will again only be possible for non-immunized citizens after a test, and these tests will soon have to be paid for out of their own pocket. That is not unjust – but it may be clumsy: about the vaccination as that To promote the most effective instrument against the pandemic, the federal and state governments are weakening the instrument of mass tests, which also served well in the fight against the pandemic. Even if the bet a million times over: There will still be millions of people who have not been vaccinated in winter. They will look for ways and without getting into expensive testing. “
“Time online” (Berlin / Hamburg)
“A state that promises voluntariness in the vaccination campaign has to make a decision: Either it pays the non-vaccinated persons the tests that it prescribes as a substitute for them, as long as they are necessary. Or it allows them to participate equally in social life – without a test. This promise, Nobody is pressured to vaccinate, is broken. Those unwilling to vaccinate are now stigmatized, they will have to pay for a normal everyday life in the future give up their resistance to the injection. Even if that is not a convenient message to the population: Politics only remains credible if it clearly and openly tells people what it is doing. “
“Spiegel.de” (Hamburg)
“Pressure is okay. Anyone who refuses the vaccination can definitely be described as showing lack of solidarity. But if you look closely, the reasons for refusal are so diverse that pressure alone will not be enough. The proportion of those who simply do not agree get to arrange a vaccination appointment is still surprisingly high. Not to be neglected, however, is the proportion of those who have their arguments that they do not want to be vaccinated Example: Germany has two-tier medicine, it is quite possible that some people who refused to vaccinate have had such bad experiences with medical staff that their mistrust is justified here.
In addition to pressure, there is also a need for real dialogue. And then the Chancellor herself would really have the best options. Where is there a speech to the people that takes the new conditions into account? How about a so-called town hall meeting, a well-established format in which citizens ask and the Chancellor answers? The vaccination campaign cannot suffer from the fact that the election campaign is taking place and the Chancellor may think in her last days that it would be more elegant to hold back. A chancellor in particular before she leaves is likely to enjoy more trust than one who has yet to win elections. “
“New Osnabrück Newspaper”
“So far, only around 52 million Germans have taken the vaccination offer at least once. While elsewhere in the world there is a desperate need for vaccine, in this country many seem to be shy, and to the detriment of everyone. Whether it is conspiracy theory, laziness or a vague discomfort, the reasons are convincing Not. And so it is right to increase the pressure on the unvaccinated. Tests for those who could be vaccinated but do not do so should no longer be free from October. A good thing. If there is interest in their own health or solidarity as reasons are not sufficient, perhaps a look in the wallet motivates. It is absurd when tens of millions of people have to wear masks just because part of the population is too narrow-minded to be vaccinated. “
“The Rhine Palatinate” (Ludwigshafen)
“The end of the free corona rapid test was foreseeable. The state cannot maintain the offer (which costs much more than originally planned) in the long term. What is harder for unvaccinated people is, of course, the multitude of access restrictions that can only be overcome with a negative attestation. Permanent testing will become part of everyday life for some if they want to continue participating in public life. “
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (Heidelberg)
“The vaccine-muffle should now recover from the German being. Because the Bund-Länder-Round has its sights set when it decides to end free rapid tests on October 11th. A proposal as instructor-like as it is wrong. The measure for tests in the future Having to dig into their own pockets will not mean that people who, for whatever reasons, have shied away from a corona vaccination so far, will soon catch up on it. Corona is also a social problem in many ways. It would be much better to lure other people who shy away from vaccinations instead of teasing them. Why not have an injection without an appointment when shopping or before the football game? Why no small rewards? In other countries exactly such temptations do their work. “
“General Newspaper” (Mainz)
“Germany has discussed vaccination for children for a long time and completely underestimated the bigger problem, namely the number of adults unwilling to vaccinate. Now it is hoped that the incentives for vaccination and the requirements for testing will work. This strategy will probably actually work to the next federal-state round. But whether you can get through the rest of the winter?
“Badische Zeitung” (Freiburg)
“(…) It can be quite expensive for those who want to take part in sporting or cultural events or visit restaurants again without vaccination and have to present tests. The measure is financially correct and ethically justifiable. Financing the tests is a burden on the public purse At the same time, every healthy adult citizen would have a reasonable and free alternative that protects him and the general public: the vaccination. The state has thus fulfilled its obligation to protect at huge financial expense. It is reasonable that those who do this declines a reasonable offer based on solidarity, is more involved in the costs of protecting the general public. “
“Reutlinger General-Anzeiger”
“But the decision is not really about the money. The background to all this is to increase the pressure on those who have not yet been poked because they are tired of the vaccination, or because they think that the syringe would produce small chips or something else what inoculates. The latter will not be able to change their minds even through paid tests. 55 percent vaccination rate is too little for herd immunity. The fear is that virus variants will spread or new ones will emerge because a large part of the population does not yet protect itself with vaccination. Other forms of pressure are being discussed. Many doubt, however, that they would have passed in court. The other option would be vaccination incentives, as they are already being tried in some municipalities. “
“Free Word” (Suhl)
“The financing of the tests burdens the public coffers with billions. At the same time, every healthy adult citizen has a reasonable and free alternative that protects him and the general public at the same time: the vaccination. It is reasonable for the one who If this reasonable and solidarity offer turns out to be more involved in the costs of protecting the general public. Another question is whether the decision is also a wise one Spending at home in the company of like-minded people is epidemiologically good for no one. “
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