On Tuesday, the German government agreed to ease anti-epidemic restrictions for people who have been vaccinated with two doses or who have passed the COVID-19 virus and have recovered. The announcement was made by Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, according to reports Reuters.

Lambrecht said the restrictions imposed to reduce the number of infections and prevent overloads on the health system must be relaxed as they are no longer justified.

“If the risk of virus transmission is significantly reduced for people who have been vaccinated with the full program and those who have already gone through the disease, this should be reflected in the new measures. We are now implementing these facilities,” Lambrecht said.

About 8% of the German population has already been vaccinated with two doses, and more than 28% have been vaccinated with the first dose. Vaccinations have accelerated recently, the number of infections has slowed, and the government is now planning to lift restrictions last year.

Based on these new relaxation processes, people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid and those who have recovered from the disease will not have to take a negative test to go shopping, barber, or to tourist areas. Also, the night time restrictions measure will not be applied to them and they will be able to hold private meetings with more people.

On the other hand, vaccinated people should continue to wear the protective mask and obey the rules of distance.

Easing restrictions on people who have been vaccinated has been a thorny issue, in the context of concerns that these measures could exacerbate social tensions, especially for those who want to be vaccinated but have not had the opportunity.

Others, however, say these measures could be an incentive for people to get vaccinated. According to a recent survey by the Robert Koch Institute, about 72% of Germans would like to be vaccinated against COVID.

Editor: Adrian Domitreau