Weekly Updates from the German Parliament (Bundestag)
Germany Extends COVID-19 Measures and Enhances Legal Protections
Germany has extended several pandemic-related regulations and measures until March 20, 2022, as the Bundestag continues to address the ongoing health crisis. Here's a summary of the key points:
Vaccination and Health Certificates
The authorization for certain employers to process employee data for COVID-19 vaccination or serostatus has been extended. The forgery of health certificates, including vaccination passports and recovery certificates, will be expanded as a criminal offence, and the preparation and trade of blank vaccination certificates will be made punishable.
Committees and Draft Bills
The 2nd Session of the legislative period began on November 11, 2021, and three committees were established: Main Committee, Petitions Committee, and Committee for Election Review, Immunity, and Rules of Procedure. Both bill drafts will be discussed in the first reading this week.
Pandemic Regulations
The "2G" rule remains in place, restricting access to certain public and leisure facilities to individuals who are either fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. The "2G+" rule requires an up-to-date negative coronavirus test alongside vaccination or recovery proof.
The hospitalization incidence metric, which determines the level of pandemic measures, has been used as the primary benchmark since a September 2021 amendment to the German Infection Protection Act (IfSG). Specific thresholds trigger different measures:
- 3 hospitalizations per 100,000: Public leisure facilities operate under the "2G" rule.
- 6 hospitalizations per 100,000: Facilities operate under "2G+".
- 9 hospitalizations per 100,000: Further restrictions such as contact limitations come into effect.
This system aims to improve legal certainty and consistency of measures, replacing over-reliance on the previous seven-day incidence rate.
Other Measures
The registration of incorrect vaccination documents in blank vaccination certificates will be explicitly punishable. Hospitals are less strained than last year due to the high vaccination rate in Germany. A special regulation for the compensation claim for parents of children in care facilities is extended until March 20, 2022.
Special regulations for parental sick pay are extended, allowing for 30 parental sick days instead of 10, and 60 days instead of 20 for single parents. The President of the Bundestag chairs the Main Committee, and the Petitions Committee resumes its work due to the transitional period after the federal election.
Measures for the Corona Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance are extended until March 20, 2022, and the Main Committee can discuss drafts and submit resolution recommendations to the plenary. The use of forged vaccination certificates and test certificates will be comprehensively punished.
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- The extension of Germany's COVID-19 measures includes toughening the legal consequences for forging health certificates, including vaccination passports and recovery certificates, as well as the preparation and trade of blank vaccination certificates.
- The German government has established committees to address the ongoing health crisis, such as the Main Committee, Petitions Committee, and Committee for Election Review, Immunity, and Rules of Procedure, which will discuss bill drafts related to health-and-wellness, policy-and-legislation, and general-news.
- In regard to the ongoing pandemic, the debate around science, medical-conditions, and politics is evident, with the German government extending measures like the "2G" and "2G+" rules that restrict access to public facilities based on vaccination or recovery status, aiming to improve health outcomes while maintaining legal certainty and consistency.
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