German citizens are likely to face tougher coronavirus restrictions as the country struggles to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic.
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her likely successor, Olaf Scholz, are holding crisis talks with regional leaders on Thursday to chart a path forward, one Tuesday’s statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
Harder restrictions are likely to be agreed to – many of which are set up to target unvaccinated people. The goal is to reduce infection rates and ease the pressure on quickly filling intensive care beds.
Among the measures being considered are the closure of bars and clubs and restrictions on large events. Some hard-hit areas in Germany have canceled Christmas markets and banned the unvaccinated from public spaces such as restaurants, gyms and entertainment facilities.
Germany’s leaders are also set to discuss mandatory vaccinations. Earlier this week, Scholz signaled his support for the mandatory Covid-19 footage. The introduction of mandatory vaccines will have to be approved by Congress.
Intensive care warning: On Wednesday, Germany recorded 446 Covid-19-related deaths – the highest number of daily deaths in nine months. Many hospitals are struggling to cope with a growing number of intensive care patients, and German doctors have warned that the capacity of intensive care beds could soon exceed levels seen during peak times. last winter.
The German Interagency Association for Critical and Emergency Care (Divi) in a statement Wednesday warned there could be as many as 6,000 Covid-19 patients in intensive care by Christmas — regardless of the measures taken. made by the leaders of Germany.
Germany reported 73,209 new cases within the past 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s center for disease control.
More than 102,000 people have died from coronavirus in Germany, the RKI said. The country reported 388 new deaths related to Covid-19 between Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the RKI, just under 70% of the German population is fully immunized.
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