EFE.- Germany is considering extending restrictions against the pandemic and introducing mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 in the medium term, issues that will be studied in a new meeting next Thursday by the federal government and regional powers.
The immediate objective is to accelerate vaccination and apply up to 30 million doses, be they first, second or booster in the remainder of the year, according to sources from the outgoing government of Angela Merkel, after the meeting held with the candidate for the Chancellery, Olaf Scholz and regional leaders.
“Both the federal government and the Länder are convinced that additional measures are necessary to reduce infections and ease pressure on hospitals,” including mandatory vaccination, Merkel spokesperson Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
At the informal meeting this morning, “different proposals” were addressed, such as a “substantial” reduction in contacts, especially those who have not taken up vaccination, as well as the introduction of mandatory unemployment in certain professions and a “next decision ”On its general obligation.
These proposals will be addressed again at the meeting on Thursday, where they must be specified in consensual resolutions.
Scholz, who aspires to be sworn in as chancellor next week, spoke at the meeting in favor of a mandatory vaccination, to be implemented until next February, as advanced by various media and confirmed by the regional leaders in attendance.
Likewise, the appointment of Major General Carsten Breuer to lead the future permanent crisis team against Covid-19, made up of representatives of the federal government, regional and municipal powers, as well as reference experts, was confirmed.
The leaders of the regional powers had already asked in their last meeting with Merkel, held a fortnight ago, mandatory vaccination at least in the most sensitive professional sectors and in contact with vulnerable people.
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Scholz then promised to prepare the corresponding bill to enter the parliamentary process before the end of this year, as confirmed last week when presenting the coalition pact between Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals.
The emergency meeting on Tuesday with the outgoing Chancellor of Germany and regional leaders was convened in the face of successive alerts from experts and also from the most affected “Länder” warning that immediate measures should be taken without waiting for the change in power.
Scholz also announced when presenting his coalition pact the creation of this crisis team against Covid-19. Before the transfer of power took place, Breuer already occupies an office in the Chancellery, according to the weekly “Der Spiegel”.
This general has already coordinated army operations related to the outgoing government’s vaccination and logistical support campaign.
Its priority has been to accelerate vaccination, in a country where the population rate with the complete regimen – 68.5% – remains below that of other European partners, despite repeated calls from politics and experts to get immunized.
The Constitutional Court of Germany, for its part, paved the way for new restrictions, by endorsing in a sentence released today the measures implemented at the time to combat the third wave of the pandemic by virtue of the so-called “emergency brake” of national scope.
The accumulated weekly incidence reflected this morning, for the first time in weeks, a slight decrease and stood at 452.2 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 452.4 the day before, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of virology.
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