The Easter blip

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Entering a two-class society?

Health Minister Jens Spahn had an Easter surprise in store for the lucky few who have been vaccinated. The immunized will “regain rights” like going shopping and getting a haircut by providing proof that they’ve had their jab. 

The proposal has been welcomed by politicians like SPD health spokesman Karl Lauterbach who’ve never had moral qualms about the creation of a Zweiklassengesellschaft. At the same time it has been described as a mandatory vaccination programme through the back door by the AfD.

On the face of it Mr Spahn’s announcement seems like a U-turn: he said back in December that he was against offering privileges to the vaccinated. But things are different now: sacred rights like having your hair cut can be offered fairly to the vaccinated, as long as the government sticks to two conditions. 

Firstly, the privileges should go hand-in-hand with similar benefits for people who can show a negative antigen test. Mr Spahn indicated that this was exactl…