The German federal government and federal states have agreed that the country’s vaccine priority list should be lifted by June at the latest, at which point all adults would be allowed to apply for a vaccination appointment. The leaders also agreed that those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should have more freedoms. 

All adults in Germany can apply for vaccine by June

Speaking after talks with state leaders at the so-called “vaccination summit” on Monday, Angela Merkel promised that the strict priority list for vaccines would be lifted by June “at the latest”, by which time she assumes that everyone in priority groups 1, 2 and 3 will have already been offered a jab. 

“This does not mean that everyone can then be vaccinated immediately,” she added. “But everyone can apply for a vaccination appointment, and they will then be given one according to the supply.” 

Restrictions to be lifted for fully vaccinated people

The chancellor and the state leaders also discussed relaxing restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the virus. Citing a study by the Robert Koch Institute, Merkel said that these population groups “no longer pose a relevant infection danger”. 

She therefore said they should “obviously” be allowed to, for example, get a haircut or go shopping without having to show a negative coronavirus test. They would also be exempt from quarantining if they came into close contact with an infected person. 

The government now plans to prepare a decree setting out its proposals for the lifting of restrictions for vaccinated and previously infected people. The decree will then be discussed in the Bundestag. The chancellor gave no indication as to when the relaxations might come into force, although last week Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn suggested a final decision would be made around the end of Mary.

Merkel cautioned that Germany faced a “difficult transition phase” as more people get their jabs and thus expect more freedoms, while a significant proportion of the population remains unvaccinated. She said that, while it was important to restore people’s basic rights “as soon as possible”, she stressed that “we will have to live with the virus for a long time to come.”