Corona - vdma.org

On 25 January 2023 the federal cabinet approved the early repeal of the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance. The ordinance will expire on 2 February 2023.

Only in a few sectors will there be an obligation for employees to inform their employers about their vaccination status. However, as long as there is no obligation to provide information, companies will be deprived of an important prerequisite for effectively reducing the risk of infection in the workplace.

Employers and employees must do everything to reduce the risk of infection in companies to zero. This includes at least an obligation to inform employees whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Short-time work is declining, employment is rising, the economy has picked up speed. Time to reconsider lump-sum state Corona aid for companies and employees.

The EU Commission is drawing its lessons from the Corona pandemic. From the VDMA's point of view, it is clear that only open markets and global partnerships contribute to economic recovery.

The uncoordinated border closures during the Corona pandemic have shown that the internal market is not crisis-proof. It must be strengthened, which is why a new Schengen strategy is the right thing to do. Member States must seek European solutions.

The federal government has announced that it will involve company doctors in the vaccination strategy at the beginning of June. In order for the campaign against the Corona virus to gain further momentum, the promise must be implemented.

The EU should quickly agree on a single European vaccination passport and introduce the Digital Green Certificate across Europe. This would greatly facilitate the posting of workers within the EU.

Company doctors must be provided with sufficient vaccine from the outset.

The Corona crisis tempts to "short-sightedness": What are the daily case numbers and what is the status of the vaccination progress? However, it is also important to look ahead and ask how Germany is positioning itself as a business location and how it must transform itself. The VDMA is actively involved in this dialogue with politicians.

The mandatory offering of self-tests in companies is manageable for machine and plant manufacturers. The VDMA now expects the public authorities to ensure that the vaccination campaign in Germany continues to gain momentum and is organized efficiently.

The mechanical and plant engineering sector is defying the pandemic and picking up speed again. Many companies expect production to increase in 2021. The government is now called upon to accompany this with an innovation-friendly policy for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The federal and state governments have corrected their decision concerning additional "days of rest" during Easter. This is a good signal: in principle, the dialogue between politics and industry is working, even under the pressure of the Corona pandemic.

Holy Thursday as an official „day of rest“ - this presents companies with major organisational challenges and causes considerable costs. It is not clear what can be gained if industry is shut down for an additional day.

A faster fight against the pandemic can also succeed with the help of Corona tests in the companies. Many machine and plant manufacturers are actively preparing for this - but it must be a voluntary measure for employees and companies.

Two new VDMA information leaflets on Covid-19 offer assistance in assessing the risk of infection in enclosed spaces.

Germany needs growth to pay the enormous costs of the Corona crisis and to be able to invest in the future. To achieve this, industry in Germany and Europe must remain competitive.

The increasingly resurgent calls for border closures within the EU must be buried as a matter of urgency. Border closures in the internal market would have unforeseeable consequences.

Even in Corona times, machine manufacturers have to fulfil their social responsibility and maintain production. A legal home office obligation with fines would therefore be absurd.

Visa procedures suspended for 68 countries