German Politicians Float Bans, Mandatory Jabs, for Unvaccinated

(Bloomberg) --

Some of Germany’s most senior politicians have floated the possibility of tough restrictions for unvaccinated people, or even compulsory inoculation, echoing similar sentiment throughout Europe as the delta variant spreads in the region.

The unvaccinated would have to curb contact in the event of a high level of infections in Germany and would be banned from “restaurants, movie theaters and stadiums,” Helge Braun, chief of staff in Angela Merkel’s chancellery, told Bild am Sonntag on Sunday. Those restrictions may be imposed regardless of tests, he added.

The prime minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the Green party’s Winfried Kretschmann, told German news agency DPA that he doesn’t plan to make vaccinations obligatory, “but can’t rule out mandatory vaccinations forever,” adding that potential variants may make such a step necessary.

A total of 89 million Covid vaccine doses have been administered in Germany as of Saturday, according to data collected by Bloomberg News and Johns Hopkins University. Considering a population of 83 million, it will take one month to cover 75% of the population with a two-dose vaccine at the current rate, according Bloomberg data.

Italy will restrict many leisure activities, including dining indoors, for citizens who aren’t vaccinated or haven’t recently tested negative for the virus. In the U.K., vaccine certificates could be required at business conferences, music festivals and sports events in England from September.

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