Germany wants to commit to vaccination next year | Abroad

The vaccination requirement has not yet been voted on in the German parliament. Parliamentarians do not have to follow the party line in this vote, but they can vote as they please. Since the vaccination duty should go into effect in February, people still have enough time to get their coronavirus vaccines.

“We were all hoping that making vaccinations optional would be enough. But vaccination is the only way out of the epidemic and that is why we have to make this decision.”

People who have not been vaccinated are largely banned from public life in Germany. Many recreational activities can only be accessed by people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or who have recently been cured. Even then, a negative test result is still necessary in some places.

supermarket

The rule applies to restaurants, theaters, cinemas, and non-essential stores such as clothing stores. Supermarkets will remain open to all. Discos and nightclubs may remain open, but should close once more than 350 infections per 100,000 residents of the relevant area have been counted in the past week.

“The fourth wave must be broken quickly,” Merkel said when announcing the rules. The government hopes the number of infections will drop quickly.

The number of coronavirus infections in Germany has risen rapidly in recent weeks, just as it has in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands. As a result, hospital care is under increasing pressure.

Ban fireworks

Private gatherings are also heavily restricted to the unvaccinated. Accompanied by an unvaccinated person, a family can receive a maximum of two guests. This rule already applies if not one person out of all those present has been vaccinated.

For large gatherings, the maximum number of visitors is reduced to 50 percent of capacity with a maximum of 5,000. For football matches, this limit is 15,000, if more than 30,000 people can be accommodated in the stadium.

Another measure not only targeting people who are not immune is the obligation to wear masks in schools. Students and teachers must wear face masks at school. It has not been determined whether this also applies when students are seated in the lesson.

There will also be a ban on fireworks in Germany by the end of the year. In addition, there will be a ban on gatherings around the old and the new.

“The fourth wave must be broken quickly,” Merkel said when announcing the rules. The government hopes the number of infections will drop quickly.

The number of coronavirus infections in Germany has risen rapidly in recent weeks, just as it has in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands. As a result, hospital care is under increasing pressure.