Germany: non-vaccinated people excluded from certain public places – LCI

After Austria, which recently imposed a lockdown on those who have not been administered an anti-Covid vaccine, Germany, in turn, is taking measures targeting the unvaccinated. In detail, the leaders recommended drastically limiting their social life.

The so-called “2G” rule, which only allows the vaccinated (“geimpfte”) and the cured (“genesene”) to access public places such as restaurants or concert halls will be extended to the entire territory, so that it was applied until now as soon as the hospitalization threshold exceeded three Covid patients per 100,000 inhabitants, which is already the case in twelve of the sixteen regional states of the country, including Berlin. According to this provision, presenting a negative test is no longer sufficient if the person is not vaccinated.

“We need to put the brakes on the exponential rise quickly” new infections and the occupation of intensive care beds, said outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, after a crisis meeting with regional heads of government, responsible for health. The meeting took place as the number of new infections jumped to 65,371 in 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch health watch institute (RKI), unheard of since the start of the pandemic.

In addition, it was decided that if the hospitalization threshold exceeds the value of six patients per 100,000 inhabitants, the vaccinated and the cured must, in addition to their certificate, have a negative test to access a list of establishments. Closures of shops, restaurants or bars in the regions are not excluded as a last resort. On the other hand, the schools will remain open, but the pupils subjected to regular tests.

Those in charge also want a massive return to teleworking wherever possible and an obligation for a health pass in transport and in the workplace. In addition, access to care centers or retirement homes for visitors and nursing staff will only be granted on presentation of a test of less than 24 hours, including for vaccinated or cured people.

A sign of the emergency raging in the country, the leaders also decided to introduce compulsory Covid-19 vaccination for staff in hospitals and retirement homes, which Angela Merkel’s government had up to ‘here refused. But the timetable for applying this measure is still unclear.

“Vaccination is and remains the way out of the pandemic”, insisted German officials, urging those undecided to show “solidarity” and take the plunge. Vaccination is intended to become compulsory for professional footballers, they further announced. In Germany, only 67.8% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures from the RKI.

The rapid implementation of these measures is still pending the validation on Friday by the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, of a new epidemiological law, which sets the legal framework. Developed by the SPD, the Greens and the Liberals, it was already adopted Thursday by the members of the Bundestag at the end of a heated debate, the conservatives judging the text “insufficient” to effectively fight the pandemic.