jpnn.com, JERMAN - A leader of Germany's Green Party, which will be part of the new government, on Wednesday expressed support for mandatory vaccination as the number of Covid-19 infections soared again.
Germany recorded 66,884 new coronavirus infections and an additional 335 deaths from the virus, bringing the total death toll to close to 100,000, according to figures released by the Robert-Koch-Institute on Wednesday.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is preparing to hand power over to a new government that is a coalition of the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats, summoned the leaders of these parties Tuesday to discuss the pandemic.
Katrin Goering-Eckardt, parliamentary leader from the Greens, said the constant lockdowns and restrictions on social contact were more burdensome than demanding vaccinations.
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Initially, mandatory vaccination was required in care facilities to protect a very sensitive group, she told Deutschlandfunk radio. Implementing mandatory vaccination does not mean that the rules will be enforced by the police, she added.
The Free Democrats have so far opposed efforts to make vaccination mandatory.
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The health ministry has drafted a proposal to require workers in nursing homes and clinics to be vaccinated from January 1, 2022, Spiegel magazine reported.
Germans have in recent days lined up for hours to get vaccinated. About 68 percent of the German population is fully vaccinated. This figure is below the average for countries in western Europe.
As of Tuesday, 638,109 people had the injections, the highest daily figure since July 28, although most of them received booster vaccinations.
Austria, which neighbors Germany, has reimposed a full lockdown due to a spike in the caseload.
Austria said next year it would implement mandatory vaccinations.
Meanwhile, the German Ethics Council - an independent group of experts advising the government - indicated it could reconsider its rejection of mandatory vaccination.
"We are really thinking about it, because we see that the numbers are rising," its deputy chairperson, Susanne Schreiber, told RTL television. (ant/dil/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: COVID-19 Makin Galak, Jerman Pertimbangkan Kebijakan Represif