Germany will soon ban non-vaccinated people from large parts of public life. This was stated by outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel on December 2, 2021 after a meeting with the country's federal and state leaders.
While speaking to reporters, Merkel said that the situation in the country is serious and called the measures an “act of national solidarity. She said that these stringent steps are necessary to address concerns that hospitals could become overloaded with people suffering from COVID infection, which is likely to be more serious among people who have not been vaccinated.
The German Chancellor informed that the parliament will soon consider a general vaccine mandate in an effort to curb coronavirus infections amid the detection of a potentially more contagious Omicron COVID variant. Germany has again reported a record rise in COVID cases with 70,000 newly confirmed cases in 24 hours.
Read: What do we know about new COVID variant Omicron?- Two cases detected in India
Germany to ban unvaccinated from public life
This means that the unvaccinated people in Germany will soon be excluded from non-essential stores, restaurants and sports and cultural venues.
As per the new rules, a household with an unvaccinated person over 14 years of age can meet only two people from another household. There will be no limit for households in which everyone is vaccinated.
The unvaccinated people in Germany will still be allowed to meet in private settings, but only in limited numbers.
Germany is also now emphasising on wearing of masks and will impose new limits on private meetings. All staff in hospitals and nursing homes will also have to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Read more: What is S Gene in COVID Test?: How it confirm the presence of Omicron variant; All You Need to Know
Germany sets goal of 30 million vaccinations by 2021 end
Germany is also planning to set a goal of achieving 30 million vaccinations by the end of the year. To boost this effort, the nation plans to allow dentists and pharmacists to administer the shots.
Only about 68.7 percent of the German population is fully vaccinated as of now, which is far below the government's minimum goal of 75 percent.
List of countries imposing stricter measures on unvaccinated people
Delhi, India: The Delhi government has urged the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to ban entry of unvaccinated people in public places and transport including public buses, metros, malls cinema halls, religious places, parks, restaurants, monuments, government offices and other public places from December 15th.
Austria: Australia has imposed a 20-day lockdown for almost 2 million unvaccinated people. The move comes as there is a spike in COVID-19 infections across Europe. Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallengerg stated that they are not taking this step lightly and that it was the need of the hour.
Greece: Greece has decided to introduce fines for all Greeks who are not vaccinated. The government is making vaccines mandatory for all above 60 years of age. Those who don't get a vaccine shot will have to pay 100-euro ($113) fine every month and the funds will go to hospital services. Only 60,000 among the 580,000 unvaccinated people over 60 years of age have received the vaccine shot in November.
Spain: Spain is banning unvaccinated travelers. The nation will now allow entry of only those travelers, who provide proof of vaccination.
Hungary: Hungary has allowed employers to make vaccinations compulsory for staff to push people to get vaccinated. Those who don't get vaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave.
Lithuania: All citizens over 16 years of age need to provide Covid immunity certificates to enter any cafe or restaurant, shopping mall, beauty salon or any other public indoor place in the country.
Ireland has also imposed a vaccine mandate.
In Ukraine, government officials and teachers who are not fully vaccinated are being sent on unpaid leave. All public services are also only allowed to operate if all their staff us fully vaccinated.
Italy: Italy will also ban unvaccinated people from popular social and sports activities.
Overall, governments across Europe are scrambling to tighten Covid-19 curbs in the wake of a record rise in COVID-19 infections across the continent.
Background
The rise in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks and detection of the new omicron variant has prompted warnings from scientists and doctors in Germany that its medical services could become overstretched in the coming weeks unless some stringent action is taken.
Few hospitals towards the south and east of the country have already transferred patients to other parts of the country due to a shortage of intensive care beds.
Germany recorded 73,209 newly confirmed cases on December 2, 2021. The nation has also reported 388 new deaths, which takes the overall death toll to 102,178.
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