German foreign minister wants to end Covid-19 restrictions next month
08 July, 2021
Germany should lift all remaining social and economic curbs as soon as everyone has been offered a vaccine against the coronavirus, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday.
Mr Maas said that point should be some time in August.
About 56.5 per cent of people in Germany have received at least one dose and almost 39 per cent are fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry says.
"When everyone in Germany has received a vaccine offer, there is no longer a legal or political justification for any kind of restriction," Mr Maas told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants to offer everyone in Germany a vaccine by September 21.
Meanwhile, officials from Germany's states agreed on Tuesday that soccer stadiums could admit a maximum of 25,000 spectators when the 2021-2022 Bundesliga soccer competition kicks off on August 13.
For events with more than 5,000 spectators, up to 50 per cent of a venue's capacity can be used, "but not more than a total of 25,000 spectators", read the states' resolution, which was seen by Reuters.
The agreement says the number of spectators will be limited to 5,000 if the seven-day coronavirus incidence in the district concerned is more than 35 for every 100,000.
In January, Mr Maas became the first German government minister to call for restrictions to be eased for vaccinated people and suggested they should be allowed to visit the cinema or eat in restaurants.
But other ministers opposed special exemptions for the vaccinated.
Other countries are also considering how to exit restrictions imposed to prevent health systems becoming overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out plans on Monday to end restrictions in England in two weeks.
It would be a test of whether a rapid vaccine programme offers enough protection from the highly contagious Delta variant.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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