Federal Health Minister Spahn: “We want to be ready when the vaccine arrives.”

28.10.2020 17:21

Supporting working parents, enabling vaccinations for the uninsured, regulating entry from risk areas, and expanding laboratory testing capacities – these are the key goals of the draft "Third Act to Protect the Population in the Event of an Epidemic Situation of National Significance," which the Federal Cabinet approved today.

"We are currently experiencing a critical phase of the pandemic. The situation is serious. The dynamic outbreak shows that we must be able to respond quickly to the coronavirus pandemic. We want to contribute to this with this draft law. We are preparing possible COVID-19 vaccinations, expanding laboratory capacities, and establishing uniform guidelines for returning from risk areas. Our primary goal remains to break chains of infection and protect our healthcare system from overload," said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn, explaining the motivation.

The law develops the existing provisions of the two civil protection laws passed in March and May 2020.

The experiences gained during the pandemic and new findings about the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its spread are incorporated into the various regulations.

The Civil Protection Act requires the approval of the Federal Council and is expected to come into force in December of this year.

The regulations at a glance:

Vaccination programs are being prepared

• With regard to vaccinations and testing, not only insured persons but also uninsured persons should be entitled to such vaccinations and testing if a legal regulation of the Federal Ministry of Health so provides. The legal regulation may also provide for regulations regarding, among other things, reimbursement and billing for the corresponding services.

Better tracking of infection events through digital entry registration

• The current travel regulations will be adjusted in the event of an epidemic of national significance. Digital entry registration may be required after a stay in a risk area to enable the responsible authorities to better track compliance with quarantine.

Further support for working parents

• The compensation scheme for parents created by the first Civil Protection Act in March 2020 will be continued; compensation payments are also possible for a child placed in quarantine.

Claim for loss of earnings is being re-regulated

• The term "risk area" will be legally defined. In this context, compensation for loss of earnings will be excluded in the future if the isolation is based on avoidable travel to a risk area.

Further development of the surveillance instruments used

• In order to gain further scientific insights into the spread of the virus and the course of the pandemic, the law provides for new surveillance instruments at the Robert Koch Institute.

More laboratory capacity for corona tests

• In order to ensure efficient use of existing testing capacity, the physician's reservation will be modified in order to be able to use rapid, near-patient tests for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and, if necessary, to also be able to access the capacities of veterinary laboratories.