Mayors are left with no way out after STF annuls decrees allowing children to be vaccinated

With no way out, mayors of the municipalities of Santa Catarina accepted the Judiciary’s decisions regarding the exemption from presenting proof of vaccination against Covid-19 for registrations and re-enrollments. Most municipalities, even before the decision of the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Cristiano Zanin, had already revoked the decree on the recommendation of the Public Ministry of Santa Catarina.

The Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years became mandatory from January 1st. Still in 2023, the Lula government included the vaccine in the National Immunization Program (PNI) and, according to the STF’s understanding, the vaccines included in the PNI are considered mandatory.

Even so, several mayors of municipalities in Santa Catarina had announced that municipal schools in their cities would not require the vaccine. Fearing a reaction from the Judiciary, they backed down.

Joinville was one of the municipalities that revoked the vaccine exemption decree before Zanin’s decision. In a note, the city hall stated that it complied with the MP-SC’s recommendation on the 6th. According to them, the MP-SC “highlighted that failure to comply with the recommendations would result in ‘the filing of competent public civil action, in addition to other judicial and extrajudicial proceedings’, including ‘representation before the Court of Auditors of the State of Santa Catarina'”, he informed.

Joinville City Hall also added that the decree was created with the intention of facilitating student registration, in view of “the recent update of the National Immunization Calendar, which made it impossible for several families to update their children’s vaccination status in a timely manner” .

Mário Hildebrandt, mayor of Blumenau, spoke out on his Instagram account. “On the recommendation of the Court, following a lawsuit filed by Psol, the decree on vaccination against Covid-19 for children in Blumenau has been revoked,” said Hildebrandt. The party was responsible for taking action both in the MP-SC and in the STF, through an allegation of non-compliance with a fundamental precept (ADPF).

“The Psol claims that it wants to protect the rights of children and adolescents, but the party also wants to decriminalize abortion and drug use. It seems that this does not affect order and, consequently, does not affect our children”, said Fabrício Oliveira, mayor of Balneário Camboriú. He recalled that, also at the request of the party, the city hall is prohibited from carrying out compulsory hospitalizations of homeless drug addicts.

Zanin’s decision called for the revocation of decrees that exempted children from presenting proof of Covid-19 vaccination in 20 municipalities in Santa Catarina. They were: Joinville, Balneário Camboriú, Içara, Modelo, Presidente Getúlio, Rancho Queimado, Rio do Sul, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Saudades, Jaguaruna, Taió, Formosa do Sul, Criciúma, Brusque, Blumenau, Ituporanga, Sombrio, Santa Terezinha do Progress and São Pedro de Alcântara.