“Nobody is protected for himself alone”

by time news

BerlinIt is around 11 a.m. on Tuesday when Chancellor Angela Merkel enters the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in a blue jacket and face mask of the same color. Health Minister Jens Spahn is already waiting, next to him is the serious-looking RKI President Lothar Wieler. Cameras flash, then the trio disappears into the venerable halls to a lecture that Angela Merkel will later praise as instructive. This is followed by a tour of the small institute museum, and a little later the three of them are sitting in the historic lecture hall and Jens Spahn says: “Thank you Angela for being here.”

The Chancellor nods, looks serious, and the message is clear: It’s about vaccination – and about promoting it. Jens Spahn and Lothar Wieler have been doing this job at least once a week in public for months. They warn, appeal and announce sometimes better, sometimes bad corona infection numbers. Now they have brought the Chancellor on board.

Merkel does her job in a way that supports the state. She urgently calls on the Germans to get vaccinated. Immunization “always protects someone who you are close to, who is important to you, who you love,” she says. Even those who are unsure should go inside again. Society as a whole would benefit from a high vaccination rate, as restrictions could be lifted: “The more we are vaccinated, the freer we will be again.” Merkel sounds very maternal.

Then the Chancellor presented new figures. According to this, the vaccination quota for over-60-year-olds must be 90 percent in order to avoid another sharp increase in the number of cases given the spread of the delta variant. For 18 to 59 year olds you need a rate of 85 percent. But Germany is still a long way from that, says Merkel, who appeals to everyone’s solidarity: “Nobody is protected on their own.”

The pandemic is not over yet, said the Chancellor. This applies despite the progress made in vaccination and the current no threat of overloading the health system. The distance and hygiene rules must therefore continue to be complied with. Jens Spahn nods in agreement and adds: Nobody now has an excuse not to be vaccinated. There was enough serum and vaccination appointments were easy to come by.

If you haven’t been vaccinated today, you can’t complain tomorrow if you haven’t been invited to the party.

Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU)

Of course, the Chancellor will be asked on Tuesday about compulsory vaccinations for teachers and medical staff, among other things, which is being discussed in this country and which is to be introduced in France and Greece for certain professional groups. In these EU countries, appeals have long been over. But the Chancellor rejects it. At least for the time being. At the moment this is not an issue, she says shortly before the end of the press conference and leaves a back door open – as is so often the case. The next few weeks will first be about advertising. Jens Spahn agrees: It is a command of common sense to get vaccinated. Then there is no need for additional tests and in the rarest of cases a quarantine. It becomes clearer a little later: “If you haven’t been vaccinated today, you can’t complain tomorrow if you haven’t been invited to the party.”

Merkel on vaccination campaigns: There are no limits to creativity

Merkel’s appearance on Tuesday is cleverly placed. The call for a more intensive vaccination campaign has been around for a long time. The German Medical Association demands this, along with many other experts. There are plenty of suggestions to bring vaccine-tired people out from behind the stove: Markus Söder would like to offer vaccinations to go for young people, others suggest vaccination campaigns in clubs and mosques. Chancellor Merkel: “There are no limits to creativity.” On Tuesday, Wieler praised vaccination offers such as those in the Sindelfingen shopping center or in Cologne’s Chorweiler district. Angela Merkel appreciatively mentions one thing in an Ikea parking lot in Berlin. Jens Spahn emphasizes: That is the right motto to offer vaccinations everywhere. Spahn: “It’s about creating opportunities. This is the next phase of the vaccination campaign. ”

At the end of the performance as vaccination ambassador, Angela Merkel visibly loosens up and thanks the audience almost cheekily. Then she disappears with her blue face mask. In a few weeks we will take stock.

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