The Italian Constitutional Court considers the mandatory vaccinations introduced by the government in Rome in 2021 for certain professions such as paramedics, teachers and the armed forces, as well as the suspension of work and salary for those who have not complied, as legally compliant. This was decided by the constitutional judges on Thursday evening after five courts had expressed doubts about the constitutionality of the obligation to vaccinate.
Some of the courts’ concerns were about the legality of mandatory vaccination for remote workers, while others were about the safety of the vaccines. The Constitutional Court rejected all the questions asked, albeit in different ways. The judges ruled that legislators’ decisions during the pandemic to vaccinate healthcare workers were “not unreasonable and not disproportionate.”
The judgment is in line with the case law of the Court of Justice, which in 2018 already ruled in favor of compulsory vaccination if three conditions are met: if it improves the health of the individual and the community, if the consequences are bearable and if further and unforeseeable damage, adequate compensation is provided.
“State Blackmail”
On Thursday, some opponents of vaccination, who had traveled from all over Italy, demonstrated in front of the Constitutional Court. They took part in a sit-in with posters and Italian flags. Among them were also people who said they had suffered serious damage to their health as a result of the corona vaccination. During the public hearing before the Constitutional Court, the lawyers of the paramedics who were suspended due to the lack of vaccinations spoke of “blackmail by the state”.
Since Thursday, 1.9 million unvaccinated Italians have been fined. Affected are unvaccinated citizens over the age of 50 and the staff of some professions for whom vaccination against the coronavirus has been requested in recent months, including paramedics, teachers and security forces.
Suspension no, punishment yes
The mandatory vaccination should apply until the end of the year. Doctors and paramedics who did not get vaccinated and were therefore suspended have been allowed to return to work since November. They still have to pay a fine.
Source: Krone
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