Helge Braun, chief of staff of Chancellor Angela Merkel, fueled a debate in German politics after he said that restrictions for unvaccinated people “may be necessary” if Covid-19 infection numbers continue to rise in the coming months.
Chief of staff Helge Braun told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he doesn’t expect another lockdown to take place in Germany, but that unvaccinated people may be barred from entering venues such as restaurants, movie theatres or sports stadiums “because the residual risk is too high.”
“Vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people,” Braun said, adding that such policies would be legal because “the state has the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens.”
Earlier this month, Braun sad many areas that were completely closed in the past must remain open to the vaccinated population.
The proposed measures are tyrannical at its core and only causes division – even within Angela Merkel’s own Christian Democrats party – which was seen after Braun made his comments.
In response, Armin Laschet, the candidate set to replace Merkel as Germany’s leader, said he currently opposes any formal or informal vaccine requirements for the time being. Of course, this just suggests that if elected he would introduce vaccine requirement restrictions…
Laschet told the German broadcaster ZDF on Sunday: “I don’t believe in compulsory vaccinations and I don’t believe we should put indirect pressure on people to get vaccinated.
“In a free country, there are rights to freedom, not just for specific groups.”
However, Laschet continued by stating that if Germany’s vaccination rates remain too low in the autumn months, other options could be considered, “but not now.”
Regardless of an official vaccine mandate, Germany’s vaccinated population is already getting preferential treatment. Those who have been vaccinated are getting VIP access to restaurants and bars that would otherwise require a recent negative Covid-19 test.
