Berlin (dpa) – Corona measures in Germany could soon be tightened significantly. Starting Tuesday afternoon, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Minister Presidents of the federal states wanted to discuss how to proceed with the pandemic. The background is the concern about a rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Under discussion are contact restrictions also for vaccinated persons, restrictions at events and club closures.
The rules for Christmas are expected to remain as they are. According to the decision of the last round of federal and state governments in early December, the following applies: Meetings involving even one unvaccinated person or person who has not recovered from an infection will be restricted to one’s own household and a maximum of two persons of another. Children are excluded. There will be no restriction on meetings involving only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
However, after Christmas at the latest, vaccinated and convalescents will probably no longer be able to meet indefinitely. As of Monday, a maximum of ten people will still be allowed. Children do not count. Large New Year’s Eve parties would thus not be possible. Clubs and discos might have to close. For football matches, concerts or other events, there could be new upper limits for spectators or perhaps even spectator bans. Real lockdown measures such as those in the Netherlands with closed shops, schools and pubs are probably not planned in Germany for the time being.