December 3

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel says the country will tighten restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus and will seek to make vaccination mandatory as early as February next year.

The daily count of new infections remains at record high levels in Germany, with over 76,000 cases reported at the end of November. On Wednesday, the country's Robert Koch Institute reported 446 deaths.

Several cases of the Omicron variant have been confirmed in the country.

Merkel told reporters on Thursday that only fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from COVID-19 will be allowed to visit non-essential stores, restaurants and leisure facilities.

She also said the government plans to make vaccination mandatory beginning in February 2022, after deliberations by the federal legislature.

The pace of the vaccine rollout in Germany has been sluggish, as some people are reluctant about getting vaccinated. 68.7 percent of the country's population had been fully inoculated as of Thursday.

Merkel pointed out that the country's medical system is becoming overloaded. She said that in view of the current situation, mandatory vaccination is truly necessary.

Neighboring Austria also plans to impose a vaccine mandate from February.

NHK