By dpa correspondents
Berlin (dpa) – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on the public to restrict their number of contacts as a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections hits the country.
Meanwhile, fears grow about the arrival of a new variant.
“It is important that we all act together now,” Steinmeier wrote in an editorial for Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Let’s stick to the rules, let’s reduce our contacts once again. Let’s do it so that schools and childcare centres don’t close again, so that we don’t have to completely shut down public life again.”
His comments came a day after the German health authorities announced a record number of Covid-19 cases. In some regions, patients were transferred to other states as hospital wards filled up.
Meanwhile, more and more hospitals are postponing elective surgery.
Regular, scheduled operations are no longer possible in more than three quarters of the country’s hospitals, according to the German Hospital Association. Hospitals would otherwise be unable to provide care for acute cases, said its chair Gerald Gass.
Acting Research Minister Anja Karliczek called on lawmakers to impose regulations requiring people to restrict their contacts, also for those who are fully vaccinated, in line with the recommendations of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences.
“Politics should follow the advice of science without hesitation. We must not lose any more time,” Karliczek told dpa.
The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina called for the swift imposition of contact bans for of several weeks, also for those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, in order to counter the fourth wave of cases.
The institute also called for an expansion of the booster vaccination campaign and for compulsory vaccination, at least for health workers.
The discussion of responses to the fourth wave of cases has gained greater urgency with the arrival of Omicron, a new and potentially more transmissible strain of Covid-19.
Omicron, first detected in South Africa this month, has been classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Germany’s first two cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Munich, the Bavarian health minister said on Saturday.
The European Centre for Disease Control has said that the strain could significantly reduce the effectiveness of the available vaccines and increase the risk of reinfection.
Be the first to comment on "German president calls on public to restrict contacts By dpa correspondents Berlin (dpa) – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on the public to restrict their number of contacts as a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections hits the country. Meanwhile, fears grow about the arrival of a new variant. “It is important that we all act together now,” Steinmeier wrote in an editorial for Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Let’s stick to the rules, let’s reduce our contacts once again. Let’s do it so that schools and childcare centres don’t close again, so that we don’t have to completely shut down public life again.” His comments came a day after the German health authorities announced a record number of Covid-19 cases. In some regions, patients were transferred to other states as hospital wards filled up. Meanwhile, more and more hospitals are postponing elective surgery. Regular, scheduled operations are no longer possible in more than three quarters of the country’s hospitals, according to the German Hospital Association. Hospitals would otherwise be unable to provide care for acute cases, said its chair Gerald Gass. Acting Research Minister Anja Karliczek called on lawmakers to impose regulations requiring people to restrict their contacts, also for those who are fully vaccinated, in line with the recommendations of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences. “Politics should follow the advice of science without hesitation. We must not lose any more time,” Karliczek told dpa. The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina called for the swift imposition of contact bans for of several weeks, also for those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, in order to counter the fourth wave of cases. The institute also called for an expansion of the booster vaccination campaign and for compulsory vaccination, at least for health workers. The discussion of responses to the fourth wave of cases has gained greater urgency with the arrival of Omicron, a new and potentially more transmissible strain of Covid-19. Omicron, first detected in South Africa this month, has been classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO). Germany’s first two cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Munich, the Bavarian health minister said on Saturday. The European Centre for Disease Control has said that the strain could significantly reduce the effectiveness of the available vaccines and increase the risk of reinfection."