Vaccine waiting list opened for cross-border workers
Cross-border workers will be allowed to sign up to a waiting list to receive a Covid-19 vaccination in Luxembourg from next week, the government announced on Friday, as cases continue to rise in the country.
After an initial waiting list was opened last month for Luxembourg residents aged 18 and over, those who have not yet signed up for a vaccine will be able to do so via a new online register from Monday, a list which will also cover cross-border workers.
Before the pandemic forced many to revert to working from home, more than 200,000 commuters crossed the border into Luxembourg each day in 2019, according to the government statistics agency Statec.
The lists, for the AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson and Pfizer-BioNtech jabs, are set to remain open until the end of July, the government said in a statement following a cabinet meeting on Friday.
The move is aimed at covering all those who “could not make their first appointment” as well as Luxembourg nationals living abroad who have not yet been vaccinated in their country of residence.
On Friday, the country marked the milestone of a full month without a Covid-19 related death. A total of 818 people have now died in Luxembourg as a result of the virus, a total that has been unchanged since June 2.
However, the number of infections is continuing to rise once again, with 136 new cases recorded on Thursday, the latest day for which data is available. There has been a constant daily increase in infections since Monday, when there were 53 infections.
Covid-19 is currently spreading mainly among the unvaccinated, Luc Feller, chair of the High Commission for National Security - a body that deals with a range of issues including pandemics - said in an interview with broadcaster RTL on Thursday. So far, 66% of all adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The so-called Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the cases of new infections in Luxembourg, according to figures released by the National Health Laboratory (LNS) on Friday. Of new confirmed cases in the week to June 20, 59% showed evidence of the latest strain, according to the LNS data.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg’s national airline, Luxair, has hit out at a government decision which forces all children aged six and over returning to the country to take a Covid-19 test.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, the airline and the Luxembourg Union of Travel Agencies (ULAV) urged authorities to raise the age limit to 14 years old, citing the rules in place for testing in other countries.
“At a time when Europe seems to be settling on a gradual return to normalcy, the path taken by Luxembourg is generating public misunderstanding and seriously complicating the daily lives of travellers and tourism professionals,” the statement said. “Let us also underline the inequality resulting from this decision, as it is possible to reach Luxembourg freely by land (train, bus or car) without having to present a test.”
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