German authorities have announced new restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that these people will not be allowed to enter many public places, including shops and cultural events. The ban will not apply to people who have contracted COVID-19.
“Culture and entertainment across the country will be available only to those who have been vaccinated or have recovered,” Merkel said. Among the new restrictions for unvaccinated people, there is also a ban on meeting more than two people from another home.
The German chancellor appeared at a joint press conference with her successor, Olaf Scholz. The decision on further restrictions was made with the leaders of sixteen German federal states. “We realized that the situation is very serious and we wanted to take further measures in addition to those already in place,” Merkel said.
She stated that “the number of injuries has stabilized, but at a very high level.”
The German chancellor also announced that a nationwide vaccination commitment could be imposed from February 2022, after the issue was discussed in Parliament. Merkel added that the ethics committee would deal with the preparation of the bill.
Angela MerkelPAP / EPA / FILIP SINGER / POOL
The BBC said Merkel had always opposed compulsory vaccination, saying it was up to the government to convince citizens. However, when she was asked at the conference whether she now supported the subject, she replied: – If I had been a Member of Parliament, I would have voted for it.
The epidemiological situation in Germany
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported Thursday that the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in one week reached 439.2 in Germany. On Monday there was a peak of 452.4, on Tuesday and Wednesday the maturity was 452.2 and 442.9 respectively.
Health authorities reported 73,209 new RKI infections within 24 hours. That’s 2,500 less than last week. In addition, 388 new deaths related to the coronavirus were recorded.
Fighting the epidemic in GermanyEPAPAP / EPA / CLEMENS ميزان Scale Sheet
Germany is once again approaching 1 million vaccines against COVID-19 per day, ARD TV reports. According to data from RKI, 987,046 doses of vaccines were administered on Wednesday. Of these, 95,344 primary vaccinations, 69,005 second vaccinations and 822,697 booster vaccines.
The previous record was set on June 9 when 1.4 million doses were administered. Full vaccination – there is no booster vaccine required for this condition yet – is now 68.7 percent of the population and 79.3 percent of all adults over the age of 18.
Main image source: PAP / EPA / FILIP SINGER / POOL
