Germans divided over imposing restrictions for the unvaccinated
German politicians were deeply divided Sunday over a warning by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff that restrictions for unvaccinated people may be necessary if COVID-19 infection numbers reach new heights in the coming months.
Chief of staff Helge Braun told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he doesn’t expect another coronavirus-related lockdown in Germany. But Braun said that unvaccinated people may be barred from entering venues like restaurants, movie theaters or sports stadiums “because the residual risk is too high.”
Braun said getting vaccinated is important to protect against severe disease and because “vaccinated people will definitely have more freedoms than unvaccinated people.” He said such policies would be legal because “the state has the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens.”
His comments fueled a debate in German politics about potential vaccination requirements. The issue has proven divisive, even within Merkel’s own Christian Democrats party. Its candidate to replace Merkel as Germany’s leader, Armin Laschet, said he opposes any formal or informal vaccine requirements for the time being.
“I don’t believe in compulsory vaccinations and I don’t believe we should put indirect pressure on people to get vaccinated,” he told the German broadcaster ZDF on Sunday. “In a free country there are rights to freedom, not just for specific groups.”
With the highly transmissible delta variant spreading in Germany, politicians have debated the possibility of compulsory vaccinations for specific professions, including medical workers.
Germany’s vaccine efforts have slowed in recent weeks and that has led to discussions about how to encourage those who haven’t yet received a vaccine to do so. More than 60% of the German population has received at least one dose while over 49% are fully vaccinated.
Croatia bus crash: A bus swerved off a highway and crashed in Croatia early Sunday after the driver apparently fell asleep, killing 10 people and injuring at least 44 others — some of them seriously, authorities said.
The crash happened about 6 a.m. near the town of Slavonski Brod on the highway between the Croatian capital of Zagreb and the Serbian border, a key artery over the summer used by tourists and workers coming home from Western Europe. Police said the bus had Kosovo license plates and was traveling from Frankfurt, Germany, to Kosovo’s capital of Pristina, which is south of Serbia.
Officials said the bus was carrying 67 passengers, including children, and two drivers, one of whom died in the crash. The 44 injured were transferred to hospitals. Slavonski Brod hospital chief Josip Samardzic said eight people had serious injuries.
Authorities said the bus driver was detained after he apparently lost control of the vehicle after briefly falling asleep.
Police said the bus slid off the road into the grass before flipping on its side.
Michigan virus bonuses:
Elected officials in a conservative Michigan county who gave themselves bonuses of $65,000 with federal COVID-19 relief aid said they will return the money following days of criticism.
Shiawassee County commissioners acted after the prosecutor said the payments were illegal, The Argus-press reported.
The Michigan Constitution bars additional compensation for elected officials “after services had already been rendered,” prosecutor Scott Koerner said.
The commissioners, all Republicans, voted July 15 to award themselves $65,000 as part of a plan to give $557,000 to 250 county employees as “hazard pay” for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The smallest amounts for recipients were $1,000 to $2,000. But County Board Chairman Jeremy Root got $25,000. Two more commissioners received $10,000 each, while four others received $5,000 each.
The vote was 6-0 with one commissioner absent.
The commissioners awarded money to other elected officials, including the prosecutor, the sheriff and the county clerk, all Republicans. They, too, said they would give it back.
Deadly disasters in India:
Days of landslides and flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in western India’s Maharashtra state killed at least 113 people and injured 50, officials said Sunday, as rescuers scrambled to find at least 100 missing.
A government spokesperson, Sandhya Garware, said over 130,000 people were rescued from nearly 900 affected villages across the state. Many were stranded on rooftops or atop buses on highways. India’s navy also said it deployed helicopters to evacuate stranded people and sent rescue teams with boats to the region.
Officials said one of the worst-hit villages was Talai, 168 miles south of Mumbai.
The village of 59 households was buried by a landslide Thursday, state official Sagar Pathak said. Rescuers recovered two more bodies on Sunday, bringing the number of villagers killed to 42, with around the same number still missing. Pathak said inclement weather, difficult terrain and large debris were hampering rescue efforts.
Last weekend, more than 30 people were killed in landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rain in and around Mumbai.
Captives released: Armed kidnappers in Nigeria have released 28 of the more than 120 students who were abducted at the beginning of July from the Bethel Baptist High School in the northern town of Damishi.
Church officials handed those children over to their parents at the school on Sunday. But the Rev. Israel Akanji, president of the Baptist Convention, said more than 80 other children were still held by the gunmen.
Thirty-four children kidnapped from the school July 5 have either been released or have escaped from the custody of the gunmen. The gunmen have reportedly demanded about $1,200 for each student.
Akanji said the church did not pay any ransoms because it is opposed to paying criminals, but he added the church was unable to stop the children’s families from taking any actions they deem fit to secure their release.
Storm hits China: Typhoon In-fa hit China’s east coast south of Shanghai on Sunday after people living near the sea were evacuated, airline flights and trains were canceled and the public was ordered to stay indoors.
The typhoon made landfall in Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, state TV reported, citing the national weather agency. It forecast rainfall of 10 to 14 inches.
The typhoon earlier dumped rain on Taiwan and knocked down tree branches, but no deaths or injuries were reported.