The public uproar over the Israeli Manufacturers Association's demand that its members be allowed to place employees who choose not to get the COVID vaccine on unpaid leave is only semi-justified.
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While the state cannot mandate members of the public to be vaccinated, the business sector makes a valid point: why should they allow some employees to potentially pose a risk to others? And why should the state subsidize their unpaid leaves?
Placing employees on unpaid leave is no picnic for Israeli businesses, as the law allows them to continue with it up to a year.
We take many risks – and it is our right to do so, as we have the right to make mistakes. But some of the risks we take involve the lives of others – and that is exactly where society has the right to limit our freedom of choice. It is the difference between eating unhealthy food and running into the street when the light is red, as the former poses a risk only to the individual and the latter to them and those around them.
The so-called "green passport" for those who are vaccinated is an important tool that must be utilized to make it clear to those who can get the vaccine but choose not to do so, that they are, in fact, placing themselves in quarantine for an unspecified period of time.
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