The rising number of corona infections is fueling a debate about more restrictions for unvaccinated people.
"This is not a discrimination against those who have not been vaccinated," said Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) in an interview with RTL / ntv.
He respects it if someone decides against a vaccination for personal reasons.
"But the non-vaccinated person must also understand that we have to protect society as a whole and therefore only the vaccinated can admit to larger community events."
At the same time, Seehofer is against compulsory vaccination.
"We have to convince people that they are going to get vaccinated." Above all, vaccination should not be made a prerequisite for employment or for the conclusion of an insurance contract.
“We cannot start that in Germany,” said the Federal Minister of the Interior.
The chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, also advocates giving vaccinated people more freedom in everyday life.
There is no reason to withhold their basic rights to vaccinated and immune people, "just because a few eternal skeptics evade the vaccination," said Montgomery to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
It is not about privileges for vaccinated people, but about restrictions on fundamental rights.
Laschet speaks out against compulsory vaccination
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun (CDU) had discussed possible restrictions for non-vaccinated people at the weekend if Germany threatened a high fourth wave. "This can also mean that certain offers such as restaurant, cinema and stadium visits would no longer be possible even for tested unvaccinated people because the residual risk is too high," he told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag. Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet spoke out against it on Sunday. "I do not believe in compulsory vaccinations and do not believe in indirectly putting pressure on people to get vaccinated," he said in the ZDF summer interview.
The left leader Janine Wissler also turned against Braun's advance. Threatening discrimination against people who have not yet been vaccinated is the wrong way to go, she told the newspaper Welt. Especially since there is still no vaccination recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission for many people, such as for children under the age of twelve and pregnant women.
Criticism came from the FDP, among others. Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki described Braun's proposal on Sunday as "introducing mandatory vaccination through the back door" and "clearly unconstitutional". Montgomery sharply criticized the objections. Anyone who, like the FDP, suspects that vaccination is mandatory through the back door and rejects more rights for vaccinated people is serving "primitive populism" and does not understand the concept of freedom correctly. “Only through vaccination can we all regain our freedoms. The FDP - the alleged Freedom Party - should finally understand that, ”said Montgomery.
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing meanwhile called for more speed in vaccination.
"Instead of threatening vaccination obligations or renewed contact restrictions, those responsible should rather pull out all the stops so that the vaccination campaign that has fallen asleep picks up speed again," Wissing told the "Rheinische Post" (Monday).
More low-threshold offers are needed.
Mützenich: Coming to the people with a vaccination
The SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich suggests expanding the use of mobile vaccination vehicles.
"If the people do not come to the vaccination, then the vaccination has to come to the people," said Mützenich to the editorial network Germany.
The experience so far with sending vaccination vehicles to certain parts of the city is good.
“We have to fully exhaust these possibilities.” Younger people also need more targeted offers.
At the weekend, several federal states signaled their readiness for an early federal-state conference.
According to Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD), a federal-state meeting must take place as soon as possible.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) currently sees a need for coordination at short notice.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder tied his willingness to conditions such as the decision to implement a school vaccination program.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) announced on Thursday that the next prime ministerial conference on the corona pandemic, which was actually planned for the end of August, would be brought forward.