VATICAN CITY, Feb 18 (Reuters) – The Vatican has told employees they could risk losing their jobs if they refuse to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 without legitimate health reasons.
A decree by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, effectively governor of Vatican City, stated that the vaccine was “the responsible choice” for the risk of harming others.
The Vatican City, at 108 acres, the smallest state in the world, has several thousand employees, most of whom live in Italy. His vaccination program began last month and Pope Francis, 84, was one of the first to receive the puncture.
The seven-page decree says those who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons may be assigned another position, presumably where they would have contact with fewer people, but will receive the same pay even if the new site is a drop. .
But the decree said those who refuse to be vaccinated without sufficient reasons would be subject to a specific provision in a 2011 law on employee rights and duties.
The 2011 law article says employees who reject “preventive measures” could be subject to “varying degrees of consequences that could lead to dismissal.”
The decree was signed on February 8 and subsequently posted on the governor’s department website.
Pope Francis is a strong supporter of vaccines to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“It’s an ethical choice because you play with your health, with your life, but you also play with the lives of others,” he said in an interview with an Italian TV channel last month.
The Vatican has forced vaccination against COVID-19 for journalists accompanying Pope Francis on his trip to Iraq next month.
Bertello, who signed the decree, tested positive for coronavirus in December and self-isolated.
There have been fewer than 30 cases of coronavirus in the Vatican City, most among the Swiss guard, who live in a communal barracks. (Report by Philip Pullella Edited by Gareth Jones)