Germany has reintroduced free COVID-19 tests to help curb the spread of coronavirus. The decision comes only a month after the government stopped paying for COVID-19 tests.
Germany is facing soaring infection rates. Figures from Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) public health authority showed that 45,081 new infections and 228 COVID-related deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours, DW reported. The seven-day incidence rate rose to 277.4 per 100,000 people.
The drastic increase in infections has made RKI call for far-reaching restrictions on public life to be imposed again.
RKI called for “for larger events to be cancelled where possible or avoided, and for all other non-essential contacts to be reduced.”
Meanwhile the German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn has called for the introduction of a 2G plus regulation as the number of coronavirus infections drastically rises in Germany.
“The situation is serious”, Mr Spahn said while urging all to take it seriously. He warned that if the people failed to take the situation seriously, the incidences would steadily double in the future.
Due to high rate of coronavirus infections in some regions of Germany, there is already the risk of not being able to be cared for in an intensive care unit as an emergency patient.
Mr Spahn warned that something had to be done, “Otherwise it will be a bitter December for everyone.” Pointing out that vaccination and testing were no longer enough to curb the spread of coronavirus, the health minister called for more decisive action to fight the pandemic.
“It is now only logical to allow public events to take place on the basis of “2G-plus”, Mr Spahn said. This means that only vaccinated and recovered people will be allowed entry with a negative test to large events.