German state allows businesses to turn back unvaccinated people

In a bid to motivate people to get vaccinated, a German state has allowed all businesses to deny service to unvaccinated people.

The state of Hesse in Germany has allowed its supermarkets and other businesses to turn back customers who have not been vaccinated.

Also read | As schools shift back to classroom teaching, are students ready to be reintroduced to outer world?

As per the new rule, stores now have the option to adopt either the '2G rule' or the '3G rule' with their customers. Under the '2G rule' stores can allow vaccinated and recovered customers to enter and shop. The other option is ‘3G rule’ under which all the people who have tested negative for coronavirus can be allowed to enter.

"We expect that this option will only be used on some days and that businesses which cater to everyday needs will not make use of it," Minister-President Volker Bouffier told a local magazine, BILD. "The greatest protection is provided by vaccination. And still it is uncomplicated, unbureaucratic and free to get."

This decision is expected to force and/or motivate locals to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible.

Also read | WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19

Germany has been struggling to remove vaccine hesitancy from the country. Even though the government has been trying to provide all necessary situations to the locals to make the vaccination process convenient for people, vaccine hesitancy has been a growing concern in the country.

It has also been stressed that even though vaccinations are being made informally compulsory, wearing face masks and maintaining social distance will still stay in place.

The decision has been taken keeping in mind the wide spread of the Delta variant, which has been declared to be one of the most transmissible variants of COVID-19.