As the omicron variant spurs a fast surge in infections, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s 16 state governors will meet Monday to determine the country’s course in the coronavirus pandemic. They are expected to prioritise the use of PCR tests for people most at risk.
As omicron kicks in, Germany has seen a slew of new infection records during the last two weeks. The national disease control centre said on Monday that there were 840.3 new cases per 100,000 residents in the previous week, and 63,393 instances in the previous 24 hours. According to the health minister, the numbers are expected to peak in mid-February.
Scholz and the governors agreed on Jan. 7 to toughen access conditions to restaurants and bars, as well as shortening quarantine and self-isolation periods.
“We don’t need a change of course,” Scholz told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung before of Monday’s meeting. “It is surely not acceptable to loosen the regulations broadly in the middle of the omicron wave,” he continued.
Due to the rapid spike in instances, Germany’s authorities are anticipated to agree to limit the use of PCR tests. Priority is expected to be given to health-care workers, the elderly, and others who are particularly vulnerable.
The topic of a prospective universal vaccine mandate, which Scholz supports but has left to parliament to come up with recommendations for, is unlikely to be discussed in depth during Monday’s meeting. On Wednesday, lawmakers are set to begin their first discussion, with several suggestions for a full or limited mandate being discussed, as well as one faction opposing a mandate.
Although the number of infections is rapidly increasing, this has not been accompanied by a significant increase in hospital admissions. Officials are concerned that Germany has a higher rate of unvaccinated senior individuals than other European countries.
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