People who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus are subject to strict contact restrictions throughout Germany. The Prime Ministers of the federal states agreed on this on Thursday with the Executive Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and her likely successor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Meetings in public and private spaces, in which unvaccinated and unconcealed people take part, should be limited to their own household and a maximum of two people from another household, according to the decision. Children up to the age of 14 are exempt from this rule. Contacts between those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered must also be reduced from an incidence of 350: to 50 indoors and 200 outdoors.
After the consultations with the Prime Minister, Merkel called for an "act of national solidarity" to contain the corona pandemic. Such an act is necessary to lower the infections and to relax the situation in the hospitals, said Merkel during the subsequent press conference. The situation In Germany, she emphasized, the fourth wave had to be broken. Merkel emphasized the importance of booster vaccinations.
She also said that the vaccination status would not be permanently recognized in the event of a double vaccination.
It is also being discussed at EU level that the second vaccination will lose its validity after nine months, so the boosting is important.
The transition will be such that everyone has a chance to renew their vaccination status.
Scholz: Party politics takes a back seat
Her probable successor Scholz said: “I am glad that in this difficult situation we are working shoulder to shoulder, that party politics are taking a back seat and the health of the citizens is in the foreground of the common political endeavors - this is how it should continue for the near future be."
The federal and state governments have decided that in future only those vaccinated against the coronavirus or those recovered from an infection will have access to shops and cultural and leisure events.
The 2-G rule, which is already in force in some countries, is to be expanded nationwide and apply regardless of the respective incidence.
Clubs and discos are closed when there are high numbers of corona infections due to the risk of infection.
This applies from a seven-day incidence of 350 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Scholz assured the economy that the economic consequences of the new Corona measures would be cushioned.
In the future, corona vaccinations should also be allowed by pharmacists, nurses and dentists.
Doctors could do this at short notice.
In addition, a change in the law is intended to widen the crisis for those who are allowed to carry out vaccinations.
The federal and state governments count with a general compulsory health insurance from February.
The ethics council should develop a recommendation for this by the end of the year.
It is welcomed that the Bundestag wants to decide on the issue “promptly”.
Merkel said she would vote for a general obligation to be imposed if she were still a member of the Bundestag at the scheduled vote.
The federal and state governments also decided to ban the sale of fireworks on New Year's Eve.
There should be a ban on fireworks at public places.
The chairman of the Prime Minister's Conference Hendrik Wüst (CDU) said that the federal and state governments had decided on a corresponding regulation, as last year.