Germany may lift its COVID-19 restrictions at the end of March, following the example of those European countries that have already done so. The issue will soon be submitted to the German parliament, writes Westdeutsche Zeitung.
At the end of 2021, amendments to the Epidemiological Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, IfSG) came into force in Germany, according to which the authorities of the federal states are empowered to independently take measures to combat the pandemic. “The legal basis for the current measures expires on March 19, unless the coalition with its majority decides otherwise,” said Johannes Vogel, deputy head of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP). His colleague, the spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group Johannes Fechner, also said: “In the coming weeks, we will understand whether it is necessary to extend the protection measures against the coronavirus after March 19.”
Of course, not all German politicians support the idea of an early lifting of all anti-COVID measures, and doctors have warned of the threat of a surge in the number of infections in the event of a hasty relaxation of restrictions.
However, while the incidence curve in Germany is still rising, the number of patients in intensive care units continues to decline. If at the beginning of December 2021 it was approaching five thousand, now there are at least half as many people in intensive care. At the same time, 74.2% of the country’s residents are fully vaccinated, and 53.6% of the population have already received a booster dose of the vaccine.
Considering that European countries have begun to gradually relax internal anti-COVID rules, and some are opening borders for travelers from third countries, and the Council of Europe has recommended lifting current entry restrictions and allowing tourists on the basis of vaccinations and tests, it is clear that the trend towards the resumption of tourism is starting gradually. gain momentum.
According to a study by the hotel group Accor, more than 76% of Germans surveyed are planning a trip this year and want to increase their holiday budget by an average of 30% compared to 2019. Thus, once the German authorities allow their citizens to travel freely, they can change the alignment of forces in the most popular resorts among Ukrainians in Turkey and Egypt, as well as Greece.