Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Aug 24, 2025

Germany's Coalition-In-Waiting Caught Off Guard As Covid Fourth Wave Hits

Germany's Coalition-In-Waiting Caught Off Guard As Covid Fourth Wave Hits

In Bavaria, and the east German states of Thuringia and Saxony, the situation is reaching a critical point.

A ferocious fourth wave of coronavirus presents the first major test for Germany's coalition-in-waiting, caught off guard and scrambling to agree on a response before it even takes office.

On Tuesday, the weekly incidence rate of the virus hit another high one day after surpassing 300 out of every 100,000 people, the first time it had crossed the threshold, fueled in part by sluggish vaccination rates.

In Bavaria, and the east German states of Thuringia and Saxony, the situation is reaching a critical point amid warnings that hospitals across the country will hit capacity in the first two weeks of December.

The incoming government is recommending that people need to be vaccinated or prove a negative Covid test to use public transport and wants to re-impose working from home rules where there is no "compelling business reason".

The prospective coalition partners will formally present their coronavirus proposals to the lower house of German parliament for approval on Thursday.

A crisis meeting between the government and the heads of Germany's 16 regional states is also scheduled for Thursday, with the aim of better coordinating the country's coronavirus response.

But the vacuum created by a government in transition has sown confusion. On Monday, a leading Green parliamentarian announced a vaccination requirement for health professionals, before being forced to row back.

The suggestion is still on the drawing board between her party, the Social Democrats and the liberal Free Democrats, who are finalising a "coalition contract" that will lay out Germany's main policy plans for the next four years.

Merkel concerned


Would-be chancellor Olaf Scholz from the centre-left Social Democrats, who has been accused of staying in the background as the Covid crisis rages, said it was "right to start a debate" about vaccine mandates for certain professions.

His vagueness drew immediate criticism from Der Spiegel weekly, which accused him of copying Merkel in staying on the fence until the last minute.

"Merkel herself couldn't have said it better, or less precise," it wrote.

The growing wave in a country which has recorded over five million infections during the pandemic is the first test for the incoming coalition before it has even put pen to paper on a deal.

"We have difficult weeks ahead of us," outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.

"With the number of cases we have at the moment, hospitals across the country will reach capacity in the first two weeks of December," Social Democrat health expert Karl Lauterbach said.

As such, access to public transport including "to school and taxis" will be limited to people who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested negative, according to a draft text seen by AFP.

Vaccine scepticism


States will also be able to introduce new restrictions in public and private places, potentially including Germany's cherished Christmas markets.

The extra measures have been welcomed by Bavarian premier Markus Soeder, who said they went in the "right direction".

The incoming coalition parties have, however, ruled out a return to lockdown, deciding not to extend Germany's official health emergency beyond November 25.

The decision has been criticised by conservatives, who are soon to find themselves in opposition for the first time in 16 years, and are already formulating attack-lines against the new coalition.

The reasons for the rapid deterioration in the situation are manifold, but they include a sluggish vaccination rate of 67.5 percent -- significantly below the three-quarters mark targeted by Merkel's government.

Around 14 million Germans eligible to be vaccinated have not taken up the offer. In Saxony, where the wave has so far been highest, only 59.6 percent of the population has received the jab.

Border regions like Bavaria and Saxony have suffered from growing case loads in the neighbouring Czech Republic and Austria, where Vienna this week put the unvaccinated under lockdown.

Germany's former Communist east is also a bastion of support for the far-right AfD, vaccination sceptics. Half of all unvaccinated people voted for the party in the September general election, according to a poll by Forsa.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
×