German Health Minister: "German People Will Be Divided into Vaccinated, Recovered, and Deceased"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] German authorities recently issued warnings that the spread of COVID-19 is at a more severe level than ever before. Austria has implemented its fourth full lockdown since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this resurgence of COVID-19, European stock markets and the value of the euro both declined.
On the 22nd (local time), German Chancellor Angela Merkel told ruling party officials that the situation is "very dramatic" and warned that "if the fourth wave is not controlled, hospitals will reach saturation," Bloomberg reported.
She added, "Many people do not recognize the seriousness of the situation."
Currently, Germany's infection rate has been setting daily records over the past two weeks, according to Bloomberg.
As of the previous day, the average number of infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days reached a record high of 414.2.
The German Health Minister stated, "Those who are not vaccinated this winter will almost certainly become infected with COVID-19," and added, "After this winter, most Germans will be divided into vaccinated, recovered, or deceased." He also raised the possibility of a full re-lockdown.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 infections among leaders of major European countries continue. The French Prime Minister's office announced in a statement that "Prime Minister Jean Castex has tested positive for COVID-19 and will carry out his duties in isolation for 10 days."
Alexander De Croo, the Belgian Prime Minister, and four ministers who met with Prime Minister Castex have undergone COVID testing and entered self-quarantine, AFP reported.
In this context, European authorities are busy trying to control the spread of COVID-19. The European Union (EU) is scheduled to discuss the validity period of vaccination certificates this week.
Austria began enforcing a full lockdown from this day. As a result, going out for purposes other than commuting, grocery shopping, and exercise is prohibited until mid-next month. All restaurants and most shops have been ordered to close, and the representative Christmas event, the ‘Christmas market,’ has also been canceled.
The government also plans to implement mandatory vaccination from February next year, imposing fines of up to 3,600 euros (approximately 4.8 million KRW) on those unvaccinated.
As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies in Europe, both stock markets and currency values have fallen.
On this day, the euro's value against the US dollar dropped by 0.43%, with the exchange rate (1.1243 dollars) returning to levels seen in July last year.
The pan-European representative stock index, the Euro Stoxx 600, gave up all its morning gains and fell by 0.13% compared to the previous trading day. The Euro Stoxx 50 index closed down 0.41% at 4338.69. Bloomberg reported that stocks related to travel and leisure mainly led the market decline.
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