Things are going to get a little more awkward for unvaccinated people in Baden-Württemberg from Wednesday. Responding to a rise in the number of intensive care patients, the state government has reimposed a handful of restrictions for those who aren’t vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. Other states are considering following a similar path. 

Tougher rules for unvaccinated people in Baden-Württemberg

Stricter rules for unvaccinated people will apply as of Wednesday, November 3, in Baden-Württemberg. In principle, the 3G rule continues to apply to public spaces like restaurants, swimming pools, cinemas, museums and cafeterias, but people who have not been vaccinated against or recovered from coronavirus will now need a more expensive PCR test, rather than a lateral flow test. The rule does not apply to people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons. 

Contact restrictions will also once again apply to unvaccinated people, so that gatherings will be limited to a maximum of one household plus five other people. Children and adolescents under the age of 17, vaccinated or recovered people, and those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons, do not count towards the maximum number of people. 

The stricter regulations came into force on Wednesday in Baden-Württemberg because the state reached a self-imposed COVID warning level. It was previously decided that, should 250 beds in intensive care units be occupied with coronavirus patients on two working days in a row, or if eight per 100.000 residents were admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms within five days, then the tighter restrictions would come into force. 

Saxony and Bavaria consider tightening restrictions

Alongside Baden-Württemberg, some other federal states in Germany are also considering tightening measures in response to the rising infection rate. In Saxony, ministers are considering switching to 2G rules for indoor public areas and events, so that only vaccinated and recovered people would be admitted. A decision is expected on Friday. 

In Bavaria, discussions about tightening coronavirus measures are ongoing. State premier Markus Söder has already spoken out in favour of applying the 2G rule more widely in future. Some Bavarian districts are already doing this, in response to the high number of cases. It is also possible that the mask requirement will be reintroduced in primary and secondary schools. 

Across Germany, Thuringia currently has the highest infection rate, with a seven-day incidence rate of 338,2 new cases per 100.000 residents. Saxony has the second-highest, with a seven-day incidence rate of 289,7, followed by Bavaria with 228,4. 

State premiers divided over need for new corona summit

Meanwhile, several state premiers have rejected a proposal to hold a new coronavirus summit with the federal government. These talks have been a regular feature over the last year and a half, with state premiers meeting either in person or via video conferencing to discuss (re)introducing and lifting various measures. 

The state premier of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther told RND, “I see no need for a federal-state meeting,” adding that the states already have all the legislative tools they need to fight the virus. This opinion was echoed by Bodo Ramelow, state premier for Thuringia, who said that the last conference “made a clear decision.” 

On the other hand, Hendrik Wüst, the newly-elected state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, told DPA that he believed a meeting next week was appropriate, since the rising infection rate requires “vigilance and decisive action by everyone in the vaccination strategy.”