BERLIN, December 25. /TASS/: Vaccination which starts on December 27 in Germany "at first won’t influence the epidemic" of the coronavirus infection, President of the German Association for the Control of Viral Diseases Helmut Fickenscher said in an interview with the DPA news agency on Friday.
"This is related to the fact that we simply need to inoculate a very large number of people and that for a long time we won’t have a sufficient amount of vaccine," he said. According to him, a positive development of the situation next year largely depends on how many residents will be inoculated, whether it will be 60% or 80% of the country’s population before the winter of 2021-2022. The expert thinks that it is unlikely that quarantine measures will be relaxed in Germany before April.
In Germany, since December 16 through January 10 at least a lockdown is in effect. All retail enterprises are closed except for stores selling groceries, household goods, and basic necessities. Hair salons, massage, beauty, and tattoo parlors are closed. Banks, pharmacies, post offices, auto repair shops, gas stations, newsstands, pet shops remain open.
At private homes and apartments no more than five people can gather at once representing no more than two households. This rule doesn’t apply to children under 14. During the period from December 24 to 26, authorities allowed gatherings of 10 residents at the most, provided they are related.
