Lower Saxony is taking further steps to implement the institution-related vaccination requirement against the corona virus. The next step is a reporting portal for employees with unclear vaccination status.
Anyone who works in the health sector and has not been vaccinated against the corona virus must be reported to the health department in Lower Saxony in the coming weeks. According to the Ministry of Health, a reporting portal set up by the state government in Hanover was launched on Friday. The managers of affected institutions and companies as well as the health authorities have access to this portal.
The background is the facility-related vaccination requirement, which will take effect from Wednesday next week. According to this, employees in hospitals or nursing homes may only work if they have been vaccinated against the corona virus or have recovered from an infection.
Lower Saxony: Notification of vaccination certificates is mandatory
From next Wednesday, the facilities will be obliged to report employees within two weeks whose vaccination status is insufficient or who have doubts about the authenticity of the proof. Medical practices and other self-employed persons are also subject to registration.
According to the ministry, the health authorities first ask people who are registered to submit proof of vaccination or a certificate. The facilities are recommended to initially deploy the employees concerned away from patients.
Without proof, there is a risk of fines and bans on activities
If no proof is presented, a hearing could follow with the threat of a fine – this fine is 1,500 euros for a full-time position. After that, a fine of up to 2,500 euros can be imposed. If no proof is provided, the health department can issue a ban on entry or activity.
According to the ministry, around 240,000 people in Lower Saxony work in the healthcare sector, including around 90,000 in nursing. Referring to surveys in January, Minister of Health Daniela Behrens (SPD) recently said that around 95 percent of employees in clinics and care across the country were vaccinated.
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