German officials push for vaccines, testing as lockdown support wanes

Berlin (dpa) – Calls for the easing of lockdown measures in Germany are growing as officials put their hopes in more vaccines for Covid-19 hotspots and mass testing for the broader population.

For the first time since the nation entered full lockdown in mid-December, a YouGov poll commissioned by dpa found that a strong majority of people want to see an end to the measures as they currently stand.

Only 26 per cent of those surveyed said they supported a continuation of the restrictions, with just 9 per cent favouring an even stricter response.

The majority are for either easing the restrictions (43 per cent) or completely returning to normality (17 per cent), according to the poll.

While progress has stalled somewhat in recent weeks as new variants of the virus have been detected, Germany has managed to lower infection numbers dramatically since the peak of its second wave late last year.

However, the government has come in for criticism for gaffes in its vaccination strategy and the delayed roll-out of rapid testing.

Now a proposal from the Health Ministry, seen by dpa, puts forward free coronavirus testing twice a week for every citizen, conducted by a trained professional.

This regime would be put in place until late June, with an assessment of its impact planned for early July. A start date is aimed for in March, pending discussion with the nation’s 16 state administrations.

Meanwhile, home testing kits are expected to appear on German shop shelves in the coming weeks, although the ministry has advised that these would be encouraged only as an additional check for individuals’ own peace of mind.

Under the lockdown, non-essential retailers and schools were forced to shut, along with restaurants, hotels and cultural and leisure facilities.

Most states have opted to gradually send children back to classrooms in recent weeks. And on Monday, hairdressers were allowed to reopen across the country.

Those steps were allowed following talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers on February 10, in which they otherwise agreed to extend the lockdown.

Their next conference is scheduled for Wednesday, with further easing expected to be discussed.

“We are now in a phase of hope, thank god. But it cannot and must not be a phase of carelessness,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Monday.

He noted that the relaunch of in-person teaching and hairdressing already amounted to “a large wave of easing,” and so it was important to take stock before deciding next steps.

Despite hopeful signs, two German states bordering the Czech Republic, where infections are spiralling, called on Berlin and Brussels on Monday to provide additional vaccines.

German districts close to the border have been recording particularly high case numbers for some time, compared to the average nationwide.

Both German states said they wanted to do more to support their Czech neighbours beyond accepting Covid-19 patients in their hospitals.

Bavarian premier Markus Soeder suggested providing vaccines and rapid testing kits, calling the Czech Republic “the heart of Europe” and stating that it needed special support.

His plea was echoed by Saxony’s state premier, Michael Kretschmer, who said a special inoculation regime was needed in areas with a high rate of infection.

He proposed offering the jab to everyone over the age of 18 in affected regions, to prevent the virus from spreading.

Tight border controls have been imposed at Germany’s border with the Czech Republic, as well as at the border with the Austrian state of Tyrol.

Those regions have been added to Germany’s list of “areas of variant of concern,” meaning they are subject to entry bans with only a few exceptions in a bid to keep out emerging coronavirus strains considered more dangerous.