Complete Lockdown In Germany On Cards? Merkel Admin Mulls To Impose Tougher Curbs As Covid Cases Rise

Jens Spahn, the German minister for health, said at a press conference on Monday that the infectious Delta variant made his bleak prediction "highly likely."

Written by: India.com News Desk Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Updated: November 24, 2021, 5:29 PM IST

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Owing to the rise in the covid cases, the German authorities are reportedly mulling to impose tougher Covid-19 restrictions in the country. Reports add that Germany may even opt for complete lockdown to contain the further spread of the virus.

To recall, country’s health minister Jens Spahn has already issued a statement saying that by the end of winter “pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, recovered or dead.” He also said that the infectious Delta variant made his bleak prediction “highly likely.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on the heads of Germany’s 16 federal states to decide upon stricter rules by Wednesday.

Covid infections hit a new record on Wednesday, with 66,884 new cases (a massive number for Germany and a big jump from the 45,326 new cases reported Tuesday) with the seven-day incidence rate passing 400 for the first time since the pandemic began, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

Some Key Details:

• Many states in Germany have already restricted access to public spaces like bars, restaurants, movie theaters and museums under “2G rules” restricting access to only those who are vaccinated — “geimpft” in German — or recovered, “genesen.”
• A number of major German Christmas markets which have not been canceled this year have adopted 2G rules.
• German officials are also said to be considering compulsory vaccinations, having already implored those not yet vaccinated to take up a shot.
• Germany has fully vaccinated 68% of its population, mostly with Pfizer’s vaccine, according to Johns Hopkins University. The world average is about 40%.