The incidence rate is at its highest level since the start of the pandemic a year and a half ago. This rate which measures the number of new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany reached, Monday, November 8, 201.1 over the last seven days, according to the Robert Koch Institute for Public Health Surveillance (RKI). The previous threshold (197.6) was raised on December 22, 2020.
While many more people are now vaccinated, the vaccination rate has nevertheless stagnated below 70%. The authorities have called on the population to mobilize in recent days. “For the unvaccinated, the risk is high that they will be infected in the coming months”RKI chief Lothar Wieler warned on Wednesday.
New restrictions planned
In eastern Saxony, where the incidence rate is more than double the national average at 491.3, unvaccinated people are subject to further restrictions on Monday. Access to indoor restaurants and indoor events will be limited to people who are fully vaccinated or who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19.
These new rules are the most restrictive taken at the national level against unvaccinated people. Only children and people who cannot receive vaccines for medical reasons will be exempt.
This surge in cases comes as Germany has been in political limbo since the parliamentary elections in September. The parties currently negotiating a new coalition to form a government by early December have so far ruled out compulsory vaccination and the establishment of new lockdowns, at least for those vaccinated.