Federal Chancellor Merkel and the Heads of Government of the Länder call on all citizens to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible. Vaccination “protects all of us – not just the individual”, the Federal Chancellor said. In addition to measures to combat the pandemic, the Federal and Länder Governments also discussed aid for the flood-hit regions.
Federal Chancellor Merkel: the Federal Government and Länder urge all citizens to get vaccinated against the coronavirus now.
Photo: Federal Government/Steffen Kugler
The number of coronavirus infections has risen again in recent weeks. How this develops further will depend largely on how high the vaccination rate is in Germany. “We now have enough vaccine so we must encourage people to get vaccinated,” Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday after consultations between the Federal and Länder Governments. She said it was encouraging that more than 80 percent of the over-60s had been vaccinated and that the vaccination had proved very effective against the Delta variant, too, in particular with regard to severe cases of COVID-19.
The Federal Chancellor called on all those who had already been vaccinated to encourage others in their families, among their friends or at their sports clubs to get vaccinated, too – “because it simply protects all of us – not just the individual”, she said. Vaccination was a contribution to the community that every individual could make, she added.
A summary of the main points agreed on by the Federal Government and the Länder:
Read the original text of the decisions adopted by the Federal Government and Länder here.
The Federal Government and the Länder will also jointly support regions that have been particularly affected by the floods. Extensive emergency aid and a recovery programme are planned for this purpose. “Germany – in particular the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia – has been affected by the consequences of a flood in a way we have never seen before,” said Federal Chancellor Merkel.
She and the Heads of Government of the Länder had expressed their sympathy to the relatives of the victims and the injured, she said, adding that the Federal Government was infinitely grateful for the enormous support shown by volunteers and private individuals. Dealing with the consequences was of course a task of national importance, said Merkel.
A summary of the main decisions adopted by the Federal Government and the Länder:
You can find more information here.