Scholz this week that he would push a law making vaccinations mandatory, Germany is following the path of Austria, which recently mandated that all adults be inoculated by February.
Scholz was active at the meetings and vocal at the news conference afterward, underlining that the new rules and the establishment of a vaccine task force were supported by both the incoming and outgoing administrations.
In addition to the restrictions on shopping by the unvaccinated, states may also require under the new rules that negative test results be presented in addition to proof of immunity at events, restaurants, bars or even shops.Merkel’s last meeting with governors, the states agreed to pass the new rules as soon as possible, amid growing concerns over soaring cases in Germany.
Scholz reiterated a promise he has made to oversee the administering of an additional 30 million doses of the vaccine by Christmas, and a pledge he made Tuesday to pass a mandatory vaccination law that could go into effect this winter.
Austria, the only European country to order mandatory vaccinations, has almost twice as many cases per capita as Germany.Germany has announced tough restrictions on unvaccinated people, barring them from many aspects of public life.
Opposition to the rules announced Thursday is expected from parts of eastern Germany, where tougher restrictions are already in place to deal with regional outbreaks, and where there have been regular protests against government measures.