Vatican officials have warned employees they could risk being fired if they reject a coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello stated in a decree that employees who for health reasons cannot obtain the shot can be transferred to less public places without any salary reduction.
However, the decree went on to state that those who do not have a health reason for refusing the vaccine will be subject to a 2011 law stating that they will face “varying degrees of consequences that could lead to dismissal” for not to take “preventive measures.” measures “.
Bertello himself tested positive for the virus in March and was isolated for two weeks.
Pope Francis
The pope’s advice on capitalism should be directed at corrupt governments. The nun nominated for the Vatican voting position says “the patriarchal mentality is changing.” The pope urges governments to use the pandemic to create a fairer economy MORE Similarly, he stressed what he says is a responsibility for citizens to receive the vaccine, and told Italian media last month that “it is an ethical choice because [without the vaccine] you play with your health, with your life, but you also play with the lives of others. “
The pontiff received the vaccine in January when the Vatican began its vaccination campaign.
The Vatican has also said that only journalists who have received vaccines will be able to accompany the Pope on a trip to Iraq in March.
Although the Vatican City 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.