German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany could impose a blanket COVID-vaccine mandate, one of the most ambitious of its kind anywhere in the world, as the country fights off a deadly record winter wave. The mandate would take effect early next year.
Describing the situation as "grave" only days before her caretaker government is due to be replaced, the 67 year-old chancellor told reporters on Thursday that federal and state governments had requested the 26 members of the independent German Ethics Council to present a recommendation for parliamentary debate before the end of the month.
"A general vaccine mandate could then take effect from February 2022, for example, conditional upon approval," Merkel said.
Germany's political leaders also agreed on sweeping new rules that would see further restrictions in movement for the unvaccinated. Those who cannot provide proof of inoculation or recent recovery will no longer be able to attend recreational events nor go shopping beyond purchasing day-to-day necessities, a blow to retailers just as they enter the peak holiday season. Moreover, fully vaccinated citizens can expect to lose their status after nine months without a booster shot, Reuters reported.
