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Anyone who refuses or is still wondering whether to get vaccinated will have to be willing to pay for it. Literally and in cash.
Every time someone is caught not wearing a protective mask, the fine goes up many times over. If he has no money, he goes behind bars to lie down.
Those who choose not to be vaccinated must be prepared to pay the COVID-19 treatment bill if they become ill. The Ministry of Health gives an approximate price for a stay in the intensive care unit – just under 19 thousand USD.
This is not a mass discussion of “understanders” of how vaccination campaigns should be conducted. Such measures have already been introduced or are being considered in Europe and around the world. In early 2022, they are very likely to be a reality in EU countries.
These are serious fines for individuals and companies, not the loss of income from putting unvaccinated people on unpaid leave or removing them from work, including the termination of the employment contract. There is also a serious problem – how to administer the enforcement and how to collect these fines – to which the authorities do not give a clear answer.
Greece gave on Tuesday 6 weeks to unvaccinated over half a million residents over 60 to take at least one dose. On January 16, 2022, a fine of 100 euros will follow for those who do not comply with the government’s decision. It will be needed every month until the unvaccinated person refuses. With an average monthly pension of 730 euros, a fine is unpleasant. But with a systematic refusal to vaccinate, the amount swells to 1,200 euros and begins to approach two pensions.
The effect was seen instantly – the number of adults signed up for vaccination jumped three times in 1 hour up to 1,500 people, the Kathimerini newspaper estimated. By the end of the working day, their number had reached 6,000, compared to an average of about 2,600 a day so far. In November, when strict restrictions were imposed on the unvaccinated, only about 60,000 of the 520-580,000 in this age group had set a dose, refusing to defend themselves and now filling intensive care units (according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis).
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Before announcing the fine, the cabinet had already introduced a mandatory rapid test twice a week – another cost of about 80 euros a month, recalled Helena Smith, a correspondent for the Guardian in Athens. She added that the funds raised in this way go to a special fund to support the congested public health system. Mitsotakis also announced at least one “carrot” yesterday – in December and early January, free test kits will be distributed, with which people can check if they are infected and thus find asymptomatic cases in society much easier.
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And are fines and compulsory vaccination legal? Yes, Antonis Manitakis, a professor of constitutional law, told Skai Radio. He cited rulings by the Greek Constitutional Court, European courts and the European Court of Human Rights, which have confirmed that the law is not violated when the state obliges certain groups, including children, to be vaccinated.
“Their freedom has not been violated, especially when the lives of dozens of people can be saved every day. If no action is taken, a large percentage of this age group will continue to die. It is therefore justified to restrict a right in the name of protecting life. which is a supreme value, “he explained. Regarding the fine, his comment is that those who cannot afford 100 euros should go for vaccination. “In this case, the state has exhausted all measures after avoiding compulsory vaccination in the spring and preferring a strategy of persuasion and free choice.”
How is it in Bulgaria
Non-compliance with the measures is an administrative violation. The Health Act states that the fines for violating anti-epidemic measures are:
- for individuals: from BGN 300 to BGN 1,000, and in case of repeated violation – from BGN 1,000 to 2,000.
- for sole traders or legal entities: from BGN 500 to BGN 2,000, and for repeated violations from BGN 2,000 to 5,000.
The inspectors assess the amount of the sanction and can only limit themselves to a warning prescription. The fine can be appealed in court and is not paid before the end of the procedure, which may be after more than a year.
Police officers may also draw up a warning report or initiate proceedings, which go through the prosecutor’s office, and it may bring charges under Art. 355 of the Penal Code, where the punishment is imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of 10 thousand to 50 thousand levs, “if the act was committed during an epidemic, pandemic or state of emergency related to deaths.”
Heavy fines are not just about vaccinations
In England, from 4 pm yesterday, there is an obligation to wear protective masks as one of the measures to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant. They apply – with some exceptions to certain categories of employees and children under 11 – to shops, malls, banks, post offices and public transport. An offender is fined £ 200. In case of a repeated violation, the fine is doubled, the third time there is a doubling up to 800 pounds. Thus, particularly stubborn opponents of the masks quickly reach the sixth fine of 6,400 pounds (just over 7,500 euros) and it remains at this level for each subsequent violation.
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If Greece is the first EU country to introduce compulsory vaccination of an entire age group, then Austria is the first to declare a mass obligation to vaccinate (excluding pregnant women and minors), but from February 1, 2022 the authorities are preparing a law and it provides severe financial sanctions for those who unreasonably refuse to be vaccinated. According to the media in Vienna, a fine of 7,200 euros was written into the project.
Di Presse and the multi-volume Kronen Zeitung say that:
- in case of a first refusal, an Austrian citizen or permanent resident will be called to the local administration
- if he does not respond, a second call will follow in a month
- a third refusal to vaccinate is now considered a serious recidivism and is punishable by 3,600 euros or imprisonment for 4 weeks
- in the event of subsequent refusals, the amount may be doubled, with EUR 7,200 being a sanction in the event that “administrative irregularities have created a serious risk to life and health”.
The bill is still under discussion and subject to change. The publication claims that it is the law is expected to be in force for three years.
When Chancellor Alexander Schalenberg announced the introduction of compulsory vaccination, he mentioned administrative penalties and explained the drastic measure by the failure of the voluntary campaign by opponents of vaccines. “Too many political forces, opponents of vaccination and fake news, are inciting people in the country to refuse.”
After the end of the complete blockade of Austria on December 12, the restrictions for the unvaccinated remain indefinite – a ban on leaving home for no particular reason, except for travel to work, school, a grocery store or a healthcare facility.
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On the occasion of the Austrian draft law in Russia journalists asked the Kremlin spokesman if they were considering something like that. Dmitry Peskov’s response was: “No, we do not assume that such measures will be introduced in Russia.” In mid-October, as the rapid increase in the number of infected and dead began, authorities said they had not decided on anything to make vaccination mandatory. President Vladimir Putin also spoke out against it. For three weeks in a row, mortality has remained at a record high – about 1,200 COVID-19 victims every day.
- Singapore so far, it is the country that has introduced probably the strictest financial sanction for the unvaccinated – to pay for their treatment when they get sick, Bloomberg reports. For hospitalized or admitted to the intensive care unit, the amount can reach 25 Singapore dollars (16,157 euros) according to the accounts of the Ministry of Health.
- Lithuania, introduced restrictions for the unvaccinated and plans to extend them from the New Year to all over 12 years, considered the opposite – to pay people to be vaccinated. The idea affects a small group – those over the age of 75 – and provides for 100 euros each, who received two doses between September 1 and November 30 or were vaccinated with a booster dose before March 31, 2022.
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IN USA the approach is different, and Washington’s decisions to combat the pandemic are constantly being challenged in court and suspended in individual states. In some places, businesses are even helped by special funds if fined. This is the leading difference from Europe – the sanction is for the employer, and he has an interest in demanding or forcing his employees to be vaccinated so as not to sanction him.
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While various courts are debating whether measures affecting 84 million working Americans could take effect, congressional Democrats are proposing for companies with more than 100 employees a drastic increase in workplace fines and a doubling of labor inspectors (a former agency official says the employer has a chance to be visited by such an inspector is now once every 134 years).
The new proposals are to increase the fines for serious violations from 653 per 000, and in case of intentional recidivism – from 6 532 to 0 000 (the average fine is currently around 00).
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The Department of Labor Relations in President Joe Biden’s administration wants unvaccinated employees to wear a protective mask at work from December 5, and from January 4, 2022, to be tested at least once a week. According to an October survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 5% of unvaccinated employees have left employers who have been forced to vaccinate.
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