Germany agrees new restrictions to tackle "very serious" 4th COVID wave

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and her designated successor Olaf Scholz (R) address a press conference following a meeting with the heads of government of Germany's federal states at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 2, 2021. John MacDougall/Pool via REUTERS

Germany's federal and state governments agreed on Thursday to measures aimed at tackling a fourth wave of COVID-19, including restrictions on the number of people who can meet inside and closures to discos and clubs above threshold case numbers.

"We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken," Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference.

"To do this, the fourth wave must be broken and this has not yet been achieved," she said, adding that a nationwide vaccination mandate could take effect from February 2022 after it is debated in the Bundestag and after guidance from Germany's Ethics Council.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) arrives to address together with her designated successor Olaf Scholz (R) a press conference following a meeting with the heads of government of Germany's federal states at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 2, 2021. John MacDougall/Pool via REUTERS

(Writing by Paul Carrel, editing by Thomas Escritt)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives to address, together with her designated successor Olaf Scholz, a news conference following a meeting with the heads of government of Germany's federal states at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 2, 2021 on measures to be taken to curb COVID-19 pandemic. John Macdougall/Pool via REUTERS