UPDATE - Germany tightens COVID-19 rules to curb omicron

UPDATES WITH COMMENTS FROM GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ADDS CONCLUSIONS OF MEETING, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, EDITS THROUGHOUT

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s federal and state governments agreed on stricter COVID-19 rules on Friday, as the country braces for a new wave driven by the omicron variant.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the new measures at a news conference in Berlin following a videoconference meeting with the premiers of the country’s federal states.

People without booster shots will be required to present a negative test result to enter bars, cafes, and restaurants as part of the new rules, Scholz told reporters.

“This is a strict measure. But it is a necessary one which will help us to control the infections better than we do now,” he said.

The chancellor called on everyone to get their booster jabs, stressing that it provides the best protection against omicron.

“We have achieved our goal of administering 30 million vaccine doses by Christmas. And now we are working for our next goal of administering a further 30 million booster shots until the end of this month,” he said.

Health officials have been warning that the number of omicron cases is doubling every two to three days, and it is capable of causing a massive fifth wave of the pandemic in the coming weeks.

The Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control agency, reported 11,502 new omicron cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections with the new variant to 62,974.

So far, 16 people have died after contracting the omicron, and 632 people received treatment at hospitals, according to official figures.

The German government is calling on citizens to strictly comply with anti-coronavirus measures and get their COVID-19 booster vaccine to protect themselves.

So far, 34.6 million people, or 41.6 % of the population, have received a booster shot, according to the Health Ministry.

Experts say booster shots are necessary against omicron as immunity from the initial doses starts wearing off over time. A third dose is providing a high level of protection against the variant, according to preliminary lab studies.