Petition for mandatory vaccination launched in Czechia

Czech scientist Peter Šeba from the Academic of Science has launched an online petition for mandatory vaccination. After a few days, it gained around 2,500 signatures and sparked a debate about this sensitive issue. So far, the Czech government has refused to opt for mandatory vaccination.

“We, below signed citizens, ask for mandatory vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 virus for all people aged over 12 years. The only exception should be granted to those, who cannot be vaccinated due to health reasons,” petition claims.

“Our society’s perverse understanding of freedom and democracy is causing deaths,” the author of the petition, microbiologist Peter Šeba, argues.

On Sunday, the incidence number rose to a new record. More than 1,000 people per 100,000 inhabitants were newly infected. According to the Czech Health Ministry’s statistics, since the coronavirus pandemic began, two million Czech citizens have contracted the virus.

As the situation deteriorates severely, Czechia on Monday introduces tougher restrictions. Negative tests are no longer accepted as a “COVID pass”. Therefore, unvaccinated people are not allowed to use services such as restaurants, hairdressers or cinemas. Unvaccinated people can still work at their workplaces, however, companies were ordered to reintroduce testing of these employees at least once a week.

Despite the severe epidemiological situation, the outgoing government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO, Renew) decided not to impose a state of emergency again. The future government of Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR) promised during their election campaign that no lockdown will be imposed if they took power.

(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)