Peter Tschentscher (SPD) came back to the vaccination center to say thank you.
On Friday, Hamburg's First Mayor will be standing in the large exhibition hall in front of registration counters that are no longer needed.
More than 1.16 million syringes were placed in what is probably the largest vaccination center in Germany, but demand has long since subsided.
The vaccination center closes at the end of August.
“It was a very big success,” says Tschentscher.
Then he asks all hamburgers who have not yet been vaccinated to accept the vaccination offer.
From this weekend on, his Senate had already announced, life in the Hanseatic city will be much more uncomfortable for them anyway.
Kim Bjorn Becker
Editor in politics.
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Corinna Budras
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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Matthias Wyssuwa
Political correspondent for Northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.
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Since this Saturday, organizers and restaurateurs in Hamburg can register for the so-called 2G model.
Those who do this only let in those who have been vaccinated or recovered, those who have been tested have to stay outside.
Landlords and organizers must clearly sign this in front of their restaurant, cinema or club and also check them, otherwise high fines are threatened.
On the other hand, you can dispense with almost all restrictions in the interior - including the distance rules.
Only the mask requirement still applies.
If you want to stick to the previous 3G model in order to be able to let in the tested, you have to continue to follow all restrictions.
Tschentscher speaks of a further incentive to vaccinate through the 2G model.
And he protests against the fact that this equates to a compulsory vaccination through the back door.
Hamburg, a model for others?
In any case, the Federal Minister of Justice would have no problem with that.
Christine Lambrecht said on Friday on ZDF that she thinks 2G is “not problematic at all”.
The Social Democrat responded to criticism that the rule would disproportionately restrict the rights of the unvaccinated.
She countered this by stating that the rights of innkeepers were also restricted if they were no longer allowed to occupy all the seats in their restaurants.
Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker (SPD) already showed "very great sympathy" for the Hamburg model, as she told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper.
And the SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach called the Hamburg concept on Friday on Twitter “a solution for all of Germany”.
Support even came from the German Ethics Council.
Its chairman Alena Buyx contradicted the criticism that 2G would introduce mandatory vaccination through the back door.
It will only build pressure to make vaccination more attractive, to protect yourself and others, "she told the NDR.
As Hamburg approaches the 2G model, the federal government is thinking about expanding the 3G concept.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) would like to allow unvaccinated people in the future only with a test in the long-distance trains of the Deutsche Bahn, the same should also apply to domestic flights.
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday in Berlin that the federal government was examining whether the 3G rule could also be extended to the use of these modes of transport.
If this were the case, only those vaccinated, recovered and tested could board trains and planes.
"Close-knit testing brings additional protection," said Seibert in support of the reason.
France introduced this model at the beginning of August.
From the middle of October on, corona rapid tests should no longer be free, then travel for unvaccinated people could become more expensive.
It remains to be seen whether this will actually happen.
In any case, the Federal Ministry of Transport has already expressed concerns about the plans, and a spokesman referred to the differences between the two systems. While the use of the trains in France is tied to reservations, in Germany a conscious decision was made in favor of an “open system”. That could make controls more difficult. A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, however, does not consider them to be excluded.
The Green MP Janosch Dahmen considers a so-called 3G regulation for trains and domestic flights to be “long overdue”. In addition to vaccinations, a comprehensive test strategy is crucial to contain the fourth wave of infections. Criticism of the government's plan came from the FDP and AfD. Deputy FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki said that tightening the requirements only made sense if the pandemic posed a greater risk. "But this is not evident and is not presented by the federal government." AfD party leader Tino Chrupalla said the government wanted to replace an already unconstitutional vaccination obligation by "harassing" the citizens.
How exactly the exam will end is open. Just like how many event organizers and restaurants in Hamburg will opt for the 2G model. Ulrike von Albedyll, the state manager of the local hotel and restaurant association, reports mixed feedback. They don't think that many would sign up for 2G straight away, even if the elimination of the distance rules would enable higher utilization. Who would want to deny regular guests entry just because they are not vaccinated? Albedyll also points to another hurdle, because all employees with customer contact must also be vaccinated or recovered.
The director of the Thalia Theater, Joachim Lux, says with a view to the employees that they will continue to play with the 3G model for the foreseeable future, since not "all of them" have been vaccinated or recovered. A spokesman from the Elbphilharmonie also announced that the 2G option for the house could not be implemented. It cannot be ensured that every artist from all over the world has been vaccinated with a vaccine approved in Germany, nor is there a legal obligation for employees to report their vaccination status.