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It was announced by officials in Germany on Thursday that there will be a tightening of restrictions for unvaccinated persons throughout the country.
German chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, recently elected Olaf Scholz, met with all 16 federal state leaders to discuss how to curb the fourth wave and rising Covid cases in the country. Following the meeting with federal leaders, the two officials detailed the agreements in a press briefing on December 2.
Bans Include Non-Essential Services, Gatherings
From Thursday's announcement, only those with proof of vaccination or those with valid proof of recovery from Covid will be able to access non-essential services such as restaurants, bars and outdoor sporting events. Unvaccinated individuals will be limited to essential services such as supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies and bakeries.
There was also an agreement to bring legislation for mandatory vaccinations to parliament, which would be put forward to a vote in February of 2022.
Germany's 2G System To Be Nationwide
There are already a number of restrictions at the state level for unvaccinated individuals, but Thursday's announcement will make them nationwide.
Germany already has what they call a “2G” system in place as a way to streamline proof of entry to a number of services: one G is geimpft (fully vaccinated) and the other genesen (recovered in the last six months). Under the new guidelines, 2G will be enforced for non-essential services.
The new restrictions in Germany include:
- Only those with proof of full vaccination or full recovery will be able to enter restaurants, bars, gyms, clubs and anything deemed as a non-essential service.
- Unvaccinated individuals will only be able to meet with two people apart from those in their own household.
- In any instance where 350 Covid cases are reported for 100,000 people over 7 days, all nightclubs in the area will temporarily be shut down.
- The 2G system will apply for entry to all outdoor events. Popular events like Bundesliga football will be limited to 15,000 people.
According to reports on Germany's official site, there have been talks of tightening restrictions for the unvaccinated in recent weeks. A number of the country's Christmas markets have been canceled this year (but not all) and local restrictions have been enforced over the past months.
In her statement to the press today, Chancellor Merkel said the following: ¨”We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken. The fourth wave must be broken and this has not yet been achieved.”
“Given the situation, I think it is appropriate to adopt compulsory vaccination,” Merkel continued.
The country's Covid cases have been rising in recent weeks. Germany's current vaccination rate is at 68.6%, according to the latest data.
Thursday's press briefing was Angela Merkel's final one as German Chancellor, after 16 years of public service. Her successor is scheduled to take office next week.
Travel Restrictions To Germany
Travelers coming from the United States, Canada and the UK can still visit Germany at this time. The entry guidelines for Germany are outlined below. All travelers must show proof of one of the following 3 requirements:
- Proof of full vaccination from one of the WHO-approved vaccines
- Travelers must show proof of a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result (from 72 or 48 hours prior to travel, respectively)
- Proof of recovery from Covid. Medical note must be 28 days up to 6 months before departure for Germany.
Read More:
U.S. Issues 18 New Travel Advisories For December
U.S. Changes Testing Requirements For All International Arrivals
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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Ashley
Friday 3rd of December 2021
First Austria and now, Germany. This exact same thing has happened before and it basically obliterated all of Europe. Funny how history repeats itself.
garrytravel
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Its a logical move. Despite this, I am getting a sense that both pro and against vax are coming together in a collective frustration/realization that all the tactics of these governments cannot match a virus, and simply are destabilizing society. I myself think that awakening/new realization will come of it (which i experience in myself, so probably not alone.)
Kashlee Kucheran
Saturday 4th of December 2021
Very well said! I share this sentiment of collective frustration
Johnathan
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Prison for Merkel and people who support this segregation.
Dee
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Good! Keep 'em confined and out of public. Good for Angela Merkel for pushing for this.
Travis Greiman
Monday 6th of December 2021
@BB, I'm not sure what you are attempting to denote by this quote but I think it is important to note it is taken out of context. They are saying specifically that once someone has been infected and is in a high risk setting for transmitting they did not find a difference in probability that they would spread it. Here is a quote below from the same study that shows more context.
"While our investigation did not find evidence of reduced transmission potential from vaccinated persons with infection, vaccination is known to reduce the risk of infection,6, 21 which prevents secondary transmission. In addition, vaccination remains a strongly protective factor against morbidity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2.22 Protection against infection, morbidity, and mortality underscores the importance of maximizing vaccination coverage, particularly in settings where challenges to physical distancing can result in rapid, widespread transmission when infections do occur."
BB
Friday 3rd of December 2021
@Dee,
Just a CDC funded study…
“ In this investigation, we found no statistically significant difference in transmission potential between vaccinated persons and persons who were not fully vaccinated. Therefore, our findings indicate that prevention and mitigation measures should be applied without regard to vaccination status for persons in high-risk settings or those with significant exposures.”
(link)
R
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Merkel and her minions should be in jail right now. She needs to face a human rights tribunal for destroying Germany. The fact that only 68% of Germans took the forced shot is hilarious too, and I suspect it’s even less. She’s like a toddler lashing out at those who disagree with her twisted agenda.
Elisa
Saturday 4th of December 2021
@R, what 'forced' shot? I've been there recently and all travelers I've met in ho(s)tels were vaxxed, Germany is superstrict and you weren't able to enter a hotel, restaurant, museum etc. without covid proof. I didn't like it but I'm happy I have had the chance to travel again and enjoy the cities and beautiful national parks over there. However, I don't agree forcing people to take the vaccin, and I think Germany is way too strict compared to other European countries.