Only if the certificate requirement were applied to a specific social group, for example, people with a migrant background, would this constitute discrimination. Calling every unequal treatment discriminatory would make a mockery of all those who are disadvantaged today on account of their gender, origin, or religious affiliation.
Enabling education
But things are less straightforward when it comes to universities: one can’t compare attending a study course with going to a restaurant. Were it not for the possibility of getting tested or following a course online, the implementation of Covid-status certification would come close to making vaccination compulsory for students. Therefore, it is important that universities continue to provide an online option for lectures and offer free testing for unvaccinated members.
Those opposed to the certificate are calling for education for everyone; yet it’s precisely thanks to the Covid pass that all students, including those who don’t have good online learning conditions at home, can once again participate in person. So, rather than standing in the way of education for everyone, the certificate is making it possible!
In demanding unrestricted fundamental rights, opponents of the certificate disregard the fact that their freedom of movement without a certificate curtails the freedom of others. As Daniel Koch, formerly of the Federal Office of Public Health, puts it: “Everyone is free to take the risk of getting ill, but no one has the right to infect anyone.”
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