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Berlin (dpa) - A majority of Germans are critical when it comes to celebrating Christmas services.
In a survey conducted by the YouGov opinion research institute on behalf of the German Press Agency, 50 percent were in favor of banning attendance at church services.
According to the survey, only 35 percent are in favor of the services, 15 percent gave no information.
In contrast to the first Corona wave at Easter, the federal and state governments decided last week against a ban on public Christmas services during the hard lockdown, despite the now significantly higher number of infections and deaths.
However, strict rules apply in the churches such as a mask requirement, a distance requirement and a ban on singing.
The major Christian churches had responded to the restrictions with great understanding.
In the YouGov survey, 83 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to follow all Corona rules at Christmas.
Restrictions are to be relaxed a little for the festival.
From December 24th to 26th, depending on the infection, meetings with a household and four other people over the age of 14 should be possible.
Young people under 14 years of age are allowed to participate in any case, so they are excluded from the limit.
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Shortly before the expected start of vaccination in Germany, the CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has meanwhile spoken out in favor of vaccinating politicians at an early stage.
"As soon as there are capacities, representatives of public life should also be vaccinated," he told the German Press Agency in Berlin.
Political people should set a good example and get vaccinated.
There are many people who have doubts about the vaccinations.
“You have to take away their fear and fears,” says Merz.
One could not convince “die-hard opponents of vaccinations with arguments, however good they may be.
However, one could perhaps convince the insecure to "take vaccination more seriously".
Shortly after Christmas, the first people in Germany should be vaccinated against the corona virus.
Shortly before the start of vaccination, Germany secured more doses of the promising vaccines.
Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) said on Twitter on Saturday that everyone who wants to be vaccinated in 2021 should be offered a vaccination as soon as possible.
"We already have sufficient doses for the two vaccines that are currently being approved."
According to the ministry, a total of 136.3 million doses are now safe for the two preparations from the Mainz company Biontech and the US manufacturer Moderna, almost all of which could be delivered in 2021.
With two necessary doses each, 68.2 million citizens could be vaccinated - with 83 million inhabitants in Germany.
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This Monday, the EU Medicines Agency EMA wants to give its assessment of the vaccine from Biontech and its US partner Pfizer.
Approval from the EU Commission is then expected.
The federal and state governments will then prepare for vaccinations to begin on December 27th.
Because of the initially limited quantities of vaccines, they are to be launched in more than 400 regional vaccination centers in the federal states.
Mobile vaccination teams should go to nursing homes and clinics.
From an EU order, 55.8 million doses of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine are now secured instead of the initially planned 40 million doses, as the ministry announced.
First, the “Bild am Sonntag” reported about it.
In addition, a further 30 million cans have already been reserved through national commitments.
In addition to this total of 85.8 million doses, 50.5 million doses of the vaccine from the US company Moderna are now secured via the EU contingent.
The guaranteed quantities are not expected all at once, but rather gradually over the course of the coming year.
For the first quarter of 2021, the federal government is initially expecting 11 to 13 million cans.
That is why a sequence is set out which particularly vulnerable groups can be vaccinated as a priority.
CSU boss Markus Söder told the “Bild am Sonntag” that more speed was needed in the procurement of vaccines.
"Everything must be geared towards getting more vaccine, which is then distributed more quickly," said Söder.
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The Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann spoke out against privileges and rewards for people who get vaccinated.
"There are no plans to impose an obligation through the back door," said the Green politician of the dpa in Stuttgart.
"In a democracy there is only the way of conviction."
He can understand that some people are insecure.
But basically, vaccines are the best tested drugs.
He therefore wants to advertise and educate people about vaccination.
After the planned start in regional vaccination centers, the statutory health insurance doctors expect the corona vaccinations to be taken over in the area a few months later.
"We are currently assuming that the practices will probably vaccinate in the summer," said the head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, of the dpa.
The vaccine, which is now available first, has to be stored at minus 70 degrees, which is not manageable in practices.
But if there is a vaccine that does not have to be so extremely cooled, it can start right away.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201220-99-758980 / 3