For corona vaccinated persons with a booster vaccination, the test obligation for 2G-Plus rules will no longer apply in Germany. The federal and state health ministers decided on Tuesday evening. However, in medical and care facilities to protect particularly vulnerable groups of people, a negative test result is still required from boosted persons. After two months, the rule will be reviewed.
The abolition of the compulsory test for people who have been vaccinated three times is controversial. “It is premature to exempt people with booster vaccinations from the obligation to test,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Doctors in the Public Health Service (BVÖGD), Ute Teichert, of the Funke media group. She pointed out that the new Coronavirus variant Omikron is on the advance and it is not yet known exactly how well the booster vaccinations worked against it. The background is also warnings from Great Britain that the Omikron variant could spread very quickly. Lauterbach disagreed after the first meeting of the government’s new panel of experts. The risk of infection is much lower after the booster vaccination, as is the transmission. The SPD politician announced that the panel of experts would present an assessment of the dangers of Omikron before Christmas. Then politicians have to decide whether further measures are necessary.
Some countries tightened their corona measures. “Carnival as a mass event does not seem to be responsible,” said NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) after talks with representatives of the organized carnival. This applies, for example, to carnival balls, party formats and sociable carnival meetings in narrow spaces. At the same time, Wüst holds out the prospect of financial aid for the organizers. (APA / Reuters)
