The epidemic situation across the Rhine continues to deteriorate, new contaminations are blazing. To cope with this fifth wave, Germany is considering making vaccination compulsory.
The German federal government and Länder leaders agreed on Tuesday to take measures to stem the fourth wave of the coronavirus epidemic, including stepping up the vaccination campaign and putting in place social restrictions, particularly for the unvaccinated.
An answer with “determination”
Angela Merkel and her successor in Chancellery, Olaf Scholz, held a video conference with regional governments amid a surge in contamination cases in Germany in recent weeks and warnings from health experts that the rate of spread could lead to a overloading hospitals.
“There is agreement that the fourth wave has caused an extremely serious, even dramatic situation in some regions for our health care system, to which the federal and regional governments will respond jointly and with determination,” said government spokesman in Berlin Steffen Seibert.
A consultation of parliament soon
Decisions should be taken Thursday on the measures mentioned Tuesday, including the obligation to present proof of vaccination or COVID-19 remission to enter businesses. Some scientists already deplore the slowness of the authorities’ reaction.
German leaders will also shortly take a decision on a possible vaccination obligation, said Steffen Seibert. Olaf Scholz has let it be known that he will seek the approval of Parliament in this regard. “I will vote for,” Chancellor-designate Bild said on television, adding that he wanted to make vaccination compulsory from next March.
The future German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was in favor of compulsory vaccination against Covid-19 to stem the outbreak of infections in his country #AFP pic.twitter.com/VMwMDmDkjU
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) November 30, 2021
68.5% of the vaccinated population
He also stressed the need to speed up the deployment of vaccine booster shots. About 68.5% of the German population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a lower rate than countries like Portugal, Spain or France. About 11.6% of Germans received a booster dose.
