German leaders have agreed to impose on formidable restrictions on those who still have not received their covid shot, by shutting them out of restaurants, cutlrual exhibition and sporting events as the country struggles to prevent a record surge in Covid infections.
that they provide negative tests.
BERLIN: German leaders on Thursday agreed on tough new curbs on the unvaccinated, with plans to shut them out of restaurants, sporting events and cultural shows as the country battles to halt a record rise in Covid infections.
With new cases soaring to an all-time high of 65,371, leaders of Germany’s 16 states agreed after crisis talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel to require those not immunised to provide negative tests in order to use public transport or go to the office.
To safeguard the most susceptible, Germany has also conceded to introduce mandatory vaccination for healthcare professionals and employees in elderly homes.
“We need to quickly put a brake on the exponential rise”, Merkel said in cases and intensive care bed occupancy, calling the crisis “highly dramatic”.
Unvaccinated people will be prohibited from entering specific public venues in locations where there have been more than three hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the previous seven days.
Except for Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saarland, all of Germany’s 16 states have a rate above three.
Large events, as well as leisure and sports facilities, will be subject to the so-called “2G” rule, which allows only the vaccinated and recovered to enter.
Hospitalization rates of more than six will need the implementation of a “2G plus” regulation, in which participants will be tested as well as vaccinated, and rates of more than nine will necessitate the implementation of further measures such as contact restrictions.
“Many of the measures that we now have to take would not have been necessary if we had more vaccinated individuals,” the outgoing chancellor said plainly.
The 2G regulation should also be applied to Bundesliga players, according to the regional chiefs.
Bayern Munich player Joshua Kimmich stirred a national debate about vaccines last month when he admitted to refusing to get the vaccine.
Bayern Munich player Joshua Kimmich stirred a national debate about vaccines last month when he admitted to refusing to get the vaccine.
Following a big push in the spring, Germany’s vaccination rate remained stable over the summer, hovering just under 70%.
Despite the fact that infections have been on the rise in recent weeks, politicians have been accused of passivity, focusing instead on negotiations to create Germany’s next government after the September elections.