People pass by a Christmas tree close to the Brandenburg gate during evening light, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Berlin, Germany, 21 December 2021;
Credit: Reuters / Annegret Hilse
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will introduce new measures to curb the spread of coronavirus including limiting private gatherings for vaccinated people to a maximum of ten people before New Year's Eve, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.
Mr Scholz also agreed with the premiers of Germany's sixteen federal states that big events, including football matches, would take place without spectators.
Although the steps already introduced, aimed mainly at encouraging people to get vaccinated, were having an effect, a fifth wave threatened Germany, especially due to the omicron variant, Olaf Scholz told reporters.
"It is only a matter of weeks before omicron is dominant here", said Mr Scholz.
