Travel Guides - Germans will be 'vaccinated, cured or dead' by winter's end, warns health minister

Covid latest news: Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter’s end, warns health minister – MATTHIAS RIETSCHEL /REUTERS

Germany’s acting health minister Jens Spahn has issued his strongest warning yet to the country’s vaccine holdouts as Europe’s largest economy desperately tries to avoid another lockdown.

“Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead,” Mr Spahn said, blaming “the very contagious Delta variant”.

“That is why we so urgently recommend vaccination,” he added.

Speaking at a news conference this morning amidst an increasingly devastating wave of infections, Mr Spahn said that only “social distancing and political resolve” can break the fourth wave.

Germany is facing the reintroduction of coronavirus restrictions as cases begin to rise steeply. Germany’s vaccination uptake remains relatively low, with just 68 per cent of the population fully inoculated.

Follow the latest updates below.

11:43 AM

Czechs, Slovaks target unvaccinated people in step behind Austria

The Czech Republic and Slovakia banned unvaccinated people from pubs and services from Monday after a surge in Covid-19 cases filled hospitals’ intensive care wards, with most of the seriously patients not inoculated.

The central European neighbours both adopted the new measures last week, a step behind Austria which first set restrictions on unvaccinated people but went for a full lockdown on Monday as the region experienced the world’s latest hotspot.

The Czech government has dispatched soldiers to help at strained hospitals – which together had over 700 people in intensive care units. Later on Monday the government was due to discuss calling a state of emergency to give it extra powers to order medical students to help.

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Covid latest news: Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter’s end, warns health minister – MILAN KAMMERMAYER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock

The new Czech measures will only allow people who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months to visit restaurants, hotels, services or public events like sports games.

Doctors’ representatives said the action was too little, too late. “As the Medical Chamber we are calling for the immediate introduction of measures that have come to be known as lockdown,” the chamber’s chief Milan Kubek said on Czech Television.

“We are calling for the quick introduction of compulsory vaccination of healthcare workers, workers in social services and we recommend it for education as well.”

In large parts of Slovakia, the government ordered restaurants to close to all inhouse meals and serve-take out meals only, as well as restricting access to services for the unvaccinated.

Slovakia has the EU’s third-lowest rate of people receiving one dose at 46.8 per cent, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), while 60 per cent of the Czech population has at least one dose of the vaccine.

11:27 AM

Protests erupt across Europe against new lockdown rules and mandatory vaccines

It was a violent weekend across some parts of Europe, as the reintroduction of coronavirus restrictions sparked backlash.

Protests were particularly strong in Belgium and the Netherlands, with fires lit and protesters smashing police vehicles.

You can read our full report on the weekend’s happenings here and watch our video on events below.

11:09 AM

EU European Affairs ministers to discuss new travel restrictions

EU European Affairs ministers will discuss climbing Covid infection rates across Europe at a meeting in Brussels to prepare for next month’s European Council summit, reports our Europe Editor James Crisp.

While Austria has already reintroduced a tourism ban during its return to lockdown, European Commission work on updating travel recommendations for its member states remain at a very early stage. It is possible that the idea of including booster shots on the EU coronavirus vaccine passport will be discussed but not final decision will be made on Tuesday.

In any case EU recommendations are just that and national governments retain responsibility for health and border policy in most cases, meaning any decision on new travel restrictions will be made by national leaders.

The December EU summit in Brussels will see heads of state and government discuss coordination of response to the Covid pandemic and measures underway to boost the bloc’s resilience to further crises.

10:51 AM

Dutch anti-Covid unrest ‘pure violence’ by ‘idiots’: PM Mark Rutte

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has labelled a nationwide weekend of unrest “pure violence” committed by “idiots”.

After the reintroduction of restrictions, which include the closure of restaurants and bars by 8pm, cities across the country were embroiled in violent protests.

Riots in several cities around the country since Friday “is pure violence under the guise of protest,” the premier said. He added he would always defend the right to protest, but “I will never accept that idiots use pure violence,” he told Dutch media.

Covid latest news: Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter’s end, warns health minister – CORNE SPARIDAENS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock

Covid latest news: Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter’s end, warns health minister – DANNY KEMP /AFP

10:31 AM

Fears over current Covid wave ‘gone too far’: Eric Zemmour

Eric Zemmour, the hard-Right French political commentator and probable presidential candidate played down fears over a new Covid wave sweeping Europe as overblown, reports our France correspondent Henry Samuel.

“We need to put this epidemic back in the right proportion. We have played a lot on people’s fears. We have gone too far, and we’ve been going too far since the beginning,” the TV pundit and polemist told France Info radio.

Mr Zemmour’s stance contrasts with the position of governments across Europe, which are reintroducing restrictions on movement to curb a fifth wave of the pandemic, with Austria on Monday going into a full lockdown.

“During the first lockdown, it was as if we were going through the blitz, as if we were bombarded by the German army in London every day and it helped the (Macron) government,” he claimed.

Covid latest news: Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter’s end – Hollie Adams /Bloomberg

French opinion polls see Mr Zemmour as challenging and even beating rival far-right politician Marine Le Pen, from the Rassemblement National party, for a ticket to the second runoff in next year’s election. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron remains the clear favourite and likely second-round winner.

Mr Zemmour, known for his hardline position on issues such as immigration, Islam and national identity, said he would roll out a third, Covid vaccine booster shot only for those aged over 65. The third jab will be available to the other 50s starting December 5 in France, where regulators also recommend making it available to those aged over 40.

He also said he would aim eventually to scrap the Covid health pass currently used in France, used to show proof vaccination status to enter bars, restaurants, museums and sports venues.

He said the pass was “not a priority issue” but was part of the government’s “tactical craftiness” to avoid talking about the “major issue”, which he believes is immigration.

The French government has admitted that the rise in new cases has become “meteoric”. While mainland France has not seen the same unrest linked to pressure to get vaccinated as in the Netherlands, say, its overseas departement of Guadeloupe has experienced riots and roadblocks in recent days. The interior ministry has sent special forces to quell the unrest and 38 people were arrested over the weekend with 30 people facing fast-track trials on Monday.

Mr Zemmour spent last weekend in London, courting the city’s large expatriate French population. He is expected to confirm his presidential candidacy on December.

This weekend, Mr Zemmour spoke exclusively with the Telegraph. You can read the full interview here.

10:13 AM

Situation in Guadeloupe ‘very explosive’: Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called the situation on the the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe “very explosive” and said public order must be maintained in the overseas territory.

Violence erupted last week after walkouts organised by the territory’s labour unions to challenge local Covid-19 restrictions, such as the mandatory vaccination of health workers, degenerated into civil unrest.

Local police have arrested at least 38 people and dozens of stores have been looted. French media reported on Sunday that rioters had broken into an arms depot in the coastal city of Pointe-a-Pitre and taken rifles.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Macron said that Guadeloupe must pursue its vaccination campaign.

Over the weekend, the French Interior Ministry dispatched elite police and counter-terrorism officers to the island to help local law enforcement restore order.

Covid latest news: Austria plunged into lockdown as violent protests erupt across Europe – Elodie Soupama /AP

09:55 AM

Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by winter end

Germany’s acting health minister Jens Spahn has this morning renewed calls for all Germans to get vaccinated, saying all citizens will be “vaccinated, cured or dead” by the end of winter.

“Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead,” Spahn said, blaming “the very contagious Delta variant”.

“That is why we so urgently recommend vaccination,” he added.

Speaking at a news conference this morning amidst an increasingly devastating wave of infections, Mr Spahn said that only “social distancing and political resolve” can break the fourth wave.

He assured the German public that the country has more than enough supply of both the BioNTech and Moderna jabs and that it is up to the public to make meet this demand.

There have been calls to make vaccination mandatory while a lockdown has also been threatened.

09:35 AM

In pictures: fresh protests and violence

A fresh wave of protests broke out in several European cities and in some French overseas territories Sunday, as protesters reacted, sometimes violently, to moves to reintroduce coronavirus restrictions.

Police and protesters clashed in the Belgian capital Brussels, in several Dutch cities and there were fresh demonstrations in Austria, where the government is imposing a new lockdown and Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

Belgian firefighters work to put out a fire during a demonstration – KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP

Demonstrators burn flares during a demonstration in Brussels – KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP

People gather for a protest against the health pass – Shutterstock

Protesters face riot place clash during an anti-coronavirus measures protest – STEPHANIE LECOCQ/Shutterstock

09:16 AM

New Zealand to scrap lockdowns early next month

New Zealand will end a three-and-a-half-month lockdown in the country’s largest city Auckland early next month as it adopts a new coronavirus control strategy, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.

Ms Ardern said that from 11.59pm on Dec 2, New Zealand would adopt a new Covid-19 response – first flagged last month – that aims to contain the highly contagious Delta variant, rather than attempting to eliminate it completely.

“The hard truth is that Delta is here and not going away,” she told reporters.

“While no country has been able to eliminate Delta completely, New Zealand is better positioned than most to tackle it.”

Ms Ardern’s coronavirus response until now has strived for “Covid Zero” elimination, with strict lockdowns, rigorous contact tracing and tight border controls.

While it has resulted in just 40 deaths in a population of five million, pressure had been building to end a lockdown in Auckland imposed in mid-August when Delta was first detected.

09:00 AM

French possible presidential candidate Zemmour: Covid fears are overblown

Eric Zemmour, the hard-right French political commentator and possible presidential candidate, said on Monday that he felt fears over the Covid-19 virus had been overblown.

“We have gone too far, and we have gone too far since the beginning,” Mr Zemmour told France Info radio.

But support has fallen for Mr Zemmour, according to a new poll that came amid reports of tensions in his campaign team.

The poll by the OpinionWay survey group measuring voter intentions for the first round of next year’s election showed support for him down by a point compared with October, to 12 per cent.

The results mirrored trends seen in two other surveys published last week by the Odoxa and Elabe groups, which also indicated that support for the ultra-nationalist had slipped.

All three show him falling behind the veteran far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, whom Mr Zemmour briefly eclipsed in surveys during October after a media blitz.

08:45 AM

Booster jabs vital for Christmas

Booster jabs are vital for ensuring the UK remains open as we head towards Christmas, Stephen Powis, national medical director for England has, told BBC Radio 4.

“Recent analysis here in the UK has shown that the third dose gives you over 90 per cent protection against symptomatic disease, so these are highly effective vaccines.

“The first two doses have given substantial immunity within the population, but the third dose gives you that extra level of protection that will protect you, it of course protects your loved ones because you are less likely to catch the disease and pass it on.

“It helps society remain open as we head towards Christmas.”

08:30 AM

Australia to reopen to foreign visa holders

Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy.

The rules were relaxed in recent weeks to allow foreign family members of citizens to enter, and Mr Morrison said this will be scaled up from Dec. 1 to allow vaccinated students, business visa holders and refugees to arrive.

The relaxation of the border rules is expected to ease labour shortages, which threaten to stymie an economic rebound.

08:12 AM

Vaccine passports would allow infections to be missed

Vaccine passports that exempt vaccinated people from regular Covid-19 testing would allow many infections to be missed, Israeli data suggest.

Researchers analysed infection rates in citizens returning to Israel through Ben-Gurion airport, for whom PCR tests upon arrival are required regardless of vaccination status.

In August 2021, the rate of positive tests among vaccinated travellers was more than double the rate among the unvaccinated, said Retsef Levi of the MIT Sloan School of Management, coauthor of a report posted on the SSRN server ahead of peer review.

The data suggested that limiting frequent Covid-19 testing to unvaccinated people would “pose potential risks by reinforcing the misrepresentation that vaccinated individuals are protected from infections.”

07:52 AM

Good morning

Good morning and welcome to The Telegraph’s Covid liveblog. Here’s a snapshot of the latest news from around the world:

Austria powered down public life on Monday as its fourth national Covid-19 lockdown began, making it the first western European country to reimpose the drastic and unpopular measure this autumn.
Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy.
New Zealand will end a three-and-a-half-month lockdown in the country’s largest city Auckland early next month as it adopts a new coronavirus control strategy, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.
US regulators expanded eligibility for booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to all adults on Friday, allowing millions more Americans to get additional protection against the virus amid a recent rise in infections.
Singapore’s government is easing some of the tight social curbs it imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19, after infections stabilised in the city-state over the past month.
Vaccine passports that exempt vaccinated people from regular Covid-19 testing would allow many infections to be missed, Israeli data suggest.