Vatican officials have told officials that they could risk being fired if they refuse to vaccinate against the coronavirus, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello said in a decree that employees who cannot get the injection for health reasons can be transferred to less public-facing positions, without a reduction in salary.
However, the decree went on to say that those who did not have a health reason to refuse the vaccine will be subject to a 2011 law that states that they will face “varying degrees of consequences that can lead to dismissal” for failing to take “preventive measures” measures. “
Bertello himself tested positive for the virus in March and was isolated for two weeks.
Pope Francis
Pope FrancisPope’s advice on capitalism should instead address corrupt governments. Vatican nominee Nun says ‘patriarchal mindset is changing’ Pope urges governments to use the pandemic to create a more just economy MORE also emphasized what he says is the responsibility of members of the public to receive the vaccination, telling Italian media last month “it is an ethical choice because [without the vaccine] you are playing with your health, with your life, but you are also playing with other people’s lives ”.
The pontiff received the vaccine in January, when the Vatican began its vaccination campaign.
The Vatican also said that only vaccinated journalists will be allowed to accompany the Pope on a trip to Iraq in March.
Although Vatican City itself has seen less than 30 cases of the virus, Italy was one of the first European epicenters of the pandemic, with more than 2.75 million confirmed cases and 95,540 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.