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Germany: Stricter restrictions on the table


The rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic is provoking new debate on the imposition of stricter measures. Compulsory vaccination is under discussion.

The number of cases from the outbreak of the pandemic in Germany exceeded 5 million (5,021,469). At the same time the increase in infections is exponential. The Robert Koch State Epidemiological Institute recorded 33,498 new cases in twenty-four hours. The positivity index, ie the number of cases per week per 100,000 inhabitants, set a new negative record. From 277.4 on Saturday it increased to 289.

In the coming days, the limit of 3,000 patients in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of hospitals is expected to be exceeded, estimates Christian Karagiannidis, head of the Intensive Care Unit of the German Interdisciplinary Association of Intensive and Emergency Medicine (Divi).

The staff at the ICU is reaching the limits of its endurance, he said on the public television channel RBB. Medical organizations warn that the fourth wave of the pandemic will last until Easter and will cause more cases and deaths than in the past.

Mandatory vaccinations and home office

This rapid deterioration in health is expected to lead to stricter restrictions than those set out in the pandemic bill, which was tabled Thursday by the parties that plan to form the new government – the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals. already makes statements. The imposition of compulsory vaccination on staff of clinics, hospitals, schools, kindergartens and the army are under discussion.

Restrictions may also be placed on contacts, which will only apply to the unvaccinated, and the authorities may be able to ban events more easily – if the epidemiological situation so requires. According to press reports, employers must send their employees home to work from home (home office).

On the table is also the proposal, travel by train to be allowed only to those who have a certificate of vaccination or recovery, or a negative test. The issue of lockdown enforcement that will apply to everyone remains controversial. The Christian parties CDU and CSU want this measure to be maintained in the future. Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals argue that once more than two-thirds of the population has been vaccinated, it is legally difficult to impose a lockdown on everyone. However, in a poll by Sunday Bild, 60% of respondents expect a new lockdown for this year, while 27% rule it out.

Panagiotis Kouparanis, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle

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Source From: Capital

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