Berlin, 17 November 2021 With a view to a safe autumn and winter, it is crucial that we in Germany continue to make every effort together to avoid further squandering what has been achieved so far in the Corona pandemic. The current situation is very serious - the incidence figures are rising rapidly from day to day and there is a threat of the health system being overstretched. The current situation therefore requires courage and clarity in action, prudence and, above all, solidarity.

Vaccination is and remains the best way out of the pandemic. The large gap in the infection and hospitalisation figures of vaccinated and unvaccinated people clearly shows that the unvaccinated expose both themselves and indirectly their fellow human beings to an unnecessarily large risk of infection and ultimately also mortality. They are responsible for a considerable part of the overburdening of the health care system and, not least, of the people who work there. Our appeal is therefore clear: Please get vaccinated!

Our goal must be to continue to drive forward the vaccination campaign against COVID-19. In addition to the urgently needed vaccinations of previously unvaccinated persons, booster vaccinations can also make a significant contribution to the further containment of the pandemic in the current phase of the pandemic.

Company doctors have been and continue to be part of the vaccination campaign. They helped to spread the vaccination campaign and reach even more people. For the first time, vaccination reached the people. This has given the campaign a further boost and shown how important low-threshold and outreach vaccination services are. Therefore, in order to provide tailored services, there is an urgent need for differentiated recording of the vaccination rate according to groups of people and employees, as well as reliable findings on the incidence of infection in companies.

It also remains important to fight against untruths and fake news about vaccination side effects. They create uncertainty despite clear scientific findings based on mass data that clearly show: The available vaccinations are safe and effective.

We social partners are aware of our responsibility towards our companies and employees. With pandemic plans, diverse regulations on mobile working and data protection, test offers and collective agreements to mitigate the effects of the Corona crisis, we have maintained economic life in numerous areas despite the difficult conditions and made many workplaces safe places. Now, in the face of the worsening pandemic situation, a renewed joint effort is needed.

We social partners therefore once again make an urgent joint appeal to all employers and employees in Germany: continue to be prudent and responsible. Continue to help protect people in workplaces from infection and reduce contacts. Be sure to comply with the effective measures of the Corona Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and the SARS-CoV-2 Occupational Health and Safety Rule. Even vaccination and testing cannot replace occupational health and safety measures, but are useful supplements to them. As employers, offer your employees initial and refresher vaccinations and testing at work. At the same time, we appeal to employees to accept these offers and thus contribute to a high vaccination and booster rate and a high level of protection.