BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers who have proposed making the entire adult population of the country mandatory to be vaccinated against COVID-19 sought a compromise Monday after battling for a majority in parliament. suggesting a narrower mandate that will initially force everyone aged 50 and over to get the shot.
Shortly before he became chancellor in December, Olaf Scholz spoke out in favor of a vaccination mandate for all adults. But amid deep divisions on the issue within his coalition government, he left it up to lawmakers to introduce a bill rather than the government itself setting the rules.
Ahead of Parliament’s expected vote scheduled for Thursday, there does not appear to be a clear majority for any of a wide variety of proposals, ranging from the proposed mandate for all adults to initiatives explicitly opposed to any order.
The 237 lawmakers who backed a mandate for the entire adult population are now proposing a plan under which people age 50 and older would be required, starting October 1, to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, published by the news agency dpa.
Other adults who have not been vaccinated must show that they have at least received guidance on the subject. Parliament could decide after its mid-year recess, taking into account the development of the pandemic and vaccination, whether there should also be a mandate for people under 50.
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