Coronavirus: Germany eyes limits on New Year’s Eve parties to combat Omicron variant
- A government proposal shows that from December 28, Berlin wants to close nightclubs and further reduce the number of people allowed at large events
- The text proposes caps on private gatherings, with those who are vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 to be allowed to host just 10 people
Germany plans to limit private New Year’s Eve parties to 10 people, a draft document showed on Monday, as it tightens coronavirus restrictions in a bid to slow the spread of Omicron.
The proposed new rules will target the vaccinated and the unvaccinated alike, though the government has ruled out a strict lockdown ahead of Christmas.
A government proposal seen by Agence France-Presse shows that from December 28, Berlin wants to close nightclubs and further reduce the number of people allowed at large events.
The text also proposes caps on private gatherings, with those who are vaccinated or recovered from Covid to be allowed to host just 10 people, a measure specifically aimed at New Year’s Eve revellers.
Guests themselves must also have immunisation to the virus, the text says.
“New Year’s Eve celebrations with a large number of people are unjustifiable in the current situation,” reads the draft document.
Those who are unvaccinated can only mingle with a maximum of two other people.