In view of the slow pace of corona vaccinations in Germany, employers and trade unions are calling on people to vaccinate.

"We have to be careful not to gamble away what we have achieved," says the joint appeal by employer president Rainer Dulger and the chairman of the German trade union federation, Reiner Hoffmann, which is submitted to the German press agency in Berlin.

"We cannot and must not be satisfied with the current vaccination rate."

Every vaccinated person helps to fight the spread of Covid-19 and to return to more normalcy in private and work life.

Millions of employees have been vaccinated by company doctors in the past few weeks.

"In total, over five million doses of vaccine were sent to the company doctors," said Dulger and Hoffmann.

"That helped to spread the vaccination campaign and to reach even more people."

Measures for safe workplaces

The two top officials expressed concern about the flattening of the vaccination dynamic. "In particular, more aggressive virus variants ensure that the incidence numbers rise again." With pandemic plans, various regulations on mobile working and data protection, test offers and collective agreements to mitigate the corona crisis, the social partners have maintained economic life despite the difficult conditions and jobs made safe places.

"We therefore appeal once again as social partners to all employers and employees in Germany: continue to be prudent and responsible," said Dulger and Hoffmann.

“Please continue to help protect the people in the companies from infection.” Employers should - wherever possible - offer company vaccinations and tests.

"At the same time, we appeal to employees to accept the vaccination and test offers and thus contribute to a high vaccination coverage and a high level of protection."

More mobile vaccination stations

In order to increase the vaccination rate, the German Medical Association has proposed a closer involvement of associations and religious communities in the vaccination campaign. "We should also get sports clubs, cultural associations and the various religious institutions on board for the vaccination campaign," said medical president Klaus Reinhardt to the newspapers of the Funke media group. Since many vaccination centers would gradually be closed, more mobile vaccination stations should be created to replace them - for example in front of churches and mosques or leisure facilities. “Sufficient vaccine, personnel and logistics are available. Now creative ideas are needed. "

Especially in the age group of 20 to 50 year olds, many are still unvaccinated, said Reinhardt.

It must be made clear to them that vaccination not only makes sense for them personally, but also represents a sign of solidarity with those who cannot be vaccinated.

There will be no nearly one hundred percent vaccination quota in Germany, said the medical president.

"In a free society we have to live with the fact that a certain percentage of citizens voluntarily decide against vaccination." For their part, however, these people must expect that the vaccinated majority will not be forever willing to accept restrictions on personal freedoms because of them , warned Reinhardt.