The protests in Italy and France do not discourage Merkel. Also Berlin towards the Green Pass

picture alliance via Getty Images

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Helge Braun, head of Angela Merkel’s chancellery, does not exclude that, if the upward trend in Covid-19 infections remains, there may be restrictions for the unvaccinated and freedom that only those who have the full vaccine cycle can enjoy. . “The vaccinated will have more freedom than the unvaccinated,” Braun told the Sunday newspaper “Bild am Sonntag”.

Braun added that if infections continue to rise, the unvaccinated will still have to reduce their contacts, despite Germany’s mass testing strategy in recent months. “This means that some spaces, from restaurants to cinemas to stadiums, may no longer be accessible to the unvaccinated even if they have undergone testing because the risk for others is too high,” he said.

The weekly incidence in Germany is currently 13.8 cases per 100,000 population, according to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of Virology. Although the level is relatively low, the upward trend is worrying. On July 6, the weekly incidence was at its lowest level of 4.9 infections per 100,000 population.

“If the incidence continues to increase, it will be difficult to keep the infections out of schools,” said Braun, who urged parents and school staff to get vaccinated. Braun also said he was in favor of maintaining the obligation to wear masks on public transport, indoors and during class. Braun fears that the increased incidence could lead to up to 100,000 daily infections in September and a weekly incidence of 850 infections per 100,000 population.

The head of the German chancellery also reassured that – if the vaccines currently in use continue to prove effective against the Delta variant – a new lockdown will not be necessary. The invitation to all residents in Germany is therefore to get vaccinated, because immunization is 90% effective against severe forms of the disease “and the vaccinated will certainly have greater freedom than the unvaccinated”.

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