As vaccination continues in Germany, the government has decided to relax the rules for residents who have received both doses of the vaccine.

This ordinance has yet to be approved by parliament.

It could affect 7 million people.

Germany will initiate a return to normal for people vaccinated against Covid, with the lifting of restrictions such as nighttime curfews or restrictions on private meetings.

Angela Merkel's government on Tuesday adopted an order relaxing for people who have received two doses of the vaccine the many bans in force for several months.

Parliament still has to vote on this text on Thursday and Friday.

If adopted, these relaxations could come into effect as early as this weekend for around 7 million people.

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Almost 7 million people affected

The people concerned will thus "no longer need a negative test if they want to go shopping, go to the hairdresser or visit a botanical garden, for example", detailed the Minister of Justice, Christine Lambrecht. The recently introduced nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. will no longer apply to these people either. They will also be able "to meet in private without restrictions", she added.

"In theory, 100 vaccinated people will be able to meet in the future," confirmed the minister's entourage, stressing however that only 8% of the German population had at this stage received the two injections.

More than 6.7 million people received these two doses and nearly 24 million one dose, according to the Robert Koch health watch institute.

Several hundred thousand injections are performed every day in Germany, whose vaccination campaign has reached, after a sluggish start, a high rate thanks in particular to the involvement of general practitioners. 

Easings already voted in some Länder

Without waiting for the adoption by the parliament, several Länder have also announced relaxations reserved for vaccinated people.

Bavaria, one of the regions most affected by Covid for a year, will thus lift meeting limitations and negative test obligations for beneficiaries of the two doses.

More generally, this southern region, among the most touristic in the country, will reopen from Monday restaurant terraces, and cultural places such as cinemas, theaters and concert halls, if the incidence over seven days remains below 100 .

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The region, which had to give up for the second consecutive year the famous Beer Festival with its 6 million visitors, recorded an incidence of 140 on Tuesday but had 19 towns or districts below 100. Hotels and campsites should reopen them May 21.

At the edge of the Baltic Sea, another region, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on Tuesday gave the green light to owners of fully vaccinated second homes from the rest of the country.

However, hotels, campsites and rental accommodation remain closed.

No reopening schedule 

"We had to restrict fundamental rights during the health crisis to protect life and health. It was extremely painful for me as Minister of Justice," said Ms Lambrecht. "I have also always said that fundamental rights must be restored as soon as their restriction is no longer justified," added the Social Democratic Minister.

Germany, hit hard by a third epidemic wave this winter, has adopted many restrictions for several months, from the closure of bars, restaurants, cultural venues and sports venues, to the closure of non-essential stores, the drastic limitation of meetings private or even a nighttime curfew. Unlike many European countries, the government has not yet presented a timetable for the reopening of these places.

"The drop in infection rates and the fact that more and more people are getting vaccinated gives me confidence that we can move quickly to other stages of opening up", she concludes, stressing however that " the pandemic is not yet over ". Germany thus had 3,433,516 officially declared cases of Covid-19 (+7,534 in 24 hours) and 83,591 deaths (+315) on Tuesday.