“The chancellor and the heads of government agree that the restrictions must be eliminated gradually and responsibly.” The German media leaked a draft in advance of the meeting that the German head of state, Olaf Schoz, and the prime ministers of the 16 federal states will have on Wednesday.
The expectation is that this meeting marks the beginning of the end of the pandemic in Germany from March: with the use of masks in public transport, the debate over compulsory vaccination and legislation that allows the restrictions to be replaced.
What modifications of the restrictions will advance in Germany?
First of all, it is considered increase the maximum number of vaccinated people, currently ten, who can take part in private gatherings. Those under the age of 14 will still not be counted.
It is also contemplated lift some restrictions on trade and food outlets. For example, as of March 4, not only those who have been vaccinated but also people with a recent negative test will be able to access restaurants, according to the document leaked by the German media.
For nightclubs and big eventsHowever, the rule that only people with the complete schedule of the vaccine and the booster dose or a recent negative test have access must remain in force.
According to the plan that Schoz will propose, As of March 20, only specific measures must be maintained, such as the obligation to wear a mask on public transportwhile the strongest restrictions will have to be lifted, at least temporarily.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel had serious difficulties during the long months of the pandemic in enforcing health measures in a unified manner throughout the country, which is why she approved a rule that allowed her to impose restrictions, depending on the health situation. For this reason, the document prepared by the current German government indicates that the legal basis must be created so that restrictions can be quickly reintroduced in the event that the pandemic worsens after March 20.
In that sense, The document also includes a declaration in favor of introducing the mandatory coronavirus vaccinewhich is in the hands of Parliament.
covid in germany
According to the latest figures from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for virology, in the last 24 hours there were 76,465 new confirmed infections of coronavirus and 42 people died from causes related to the disease. The weekly incidence stood at 1,459.8 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Although the incidence and contagion figures remain high, in recent days, there has been a slight downward trend and the hospitalization rate has not risen in the same proportion as infections.
The latter is attributed to the fact that the Omicron variant, although it is more contagious, seems more benign since the vaccine helps prevent serious cases. However, the vaccination quota remains unsatisfactory and the Government did not achieve the goal of having at least 80 percent of the population with the first dose by the end of January.
Currently, 76.1 percent of the population has received at least the first dose of the vaccine, 74.8 the full schedule and 55.4 percent also the booster dose.