New legislation set to be introduced to the Knesset by Health Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) would allow employers to force their employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, by enabling them to bar unvaccinated workers from coming in to their place of business. Edelstein announced Wednesday afternoon at a press conference that he will push for the bill, after earlier efforts to draft a far more expansive bill which would have empowered the state to compel every citizen to get the COVID vaccine. “Legislation will be promoted which will allow employers to prevent the unvaccinated from coming in to work,” Edelstein said at the press conference. In November, Edelstein consulted with three judges to explore the possibility of passing what was dubbed the “Coronavirus Vaccine Law”, which would have empowered the state to require that all citizens receive the COVID vaccine. The move, which drew criticism from the Israel Associate of Public Health Physicians, was ultimately abandoned. Last Thursday night, however, calls for a vaccine mandate were renewed when Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) argued at a Cabinet meeting in favor of legislation requiring all Israelis to vaccinate, with punishments for those who refuse.
