Germany ramps up COVID-19 measures to curb new wave
Despite multiple vaccine options being widely available, the countrys vaccination campaign has slowed down. Last month, Germanys vaccination rate increased by two percent only and stood at 68.1 percent on Tuesday.
Germany ramped up its COVID-19 measures as the so-called 3G rule, which stands for geimpft, getestet, genesen (vaccinated, tested, recovered) and applies in the workplace and in public transport, came into force on Wednesday.
Passengers who wish to use public transport without a vaccination or recovery certificate "must carry proof of a negative coronavirus test," the government said, stressing that self-tests will not be accepted.
According to an ongoing survey conducted by the market research institute YouGov, 74 percent of the country's citizens are in favor of the 3G rule in public transport.
Meanwhile, the daily number of new COVID-19 infections reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases once again hit a new record of 66,884, an increase of more than 14,000 over last week's figure.
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The nationwide seven-day incidence rate rose above 400 for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the RKI. Within one week, the incidence rate climbed from 319.5 to 404.5 on Wednesday.
The number of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care increased by around 80 to 4,070 on Wednesday, according to the online registry of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Acting Health Minister Jens Spahn criticized those who refused vaccination because they thought the virus could not harm them. "What else must happen for you to get it? " Spahn asked in the Rheinische Post newspaper on Wednesday.
Despite multiple vaccine options being widely available, the country's vaccination campaign has slowed down. Last month, Germany's vaccination rate increased by two percent only and stood at 68.1 percent on Tuesday, according to the RKI.
