Germany to end free coronavirus tests in October

Germany is ending free coronavirus tests for its citizens from October, in part to encourage people to get vaccinated

BERLIN -- Germany is ending free coronavirus tests for its citizens from October, in part to encourage people to get vaccinated, government officials said Tuesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country had sufficient vaccines for its population - more than half is already fully immunized — and that studies showed they are effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, including ones caused by highly contagious virus variants. “The not-so-good news is that the speed of vaccination has declined significantly,” Merkel said after a Tuesday meeting with the country’s 16 state governors. While federal and state officials agreed that people who are fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or have recently tested negative should continue to be treated equally in most situations, they also decided that German citizens will have to start paying for their own tests starting Oct. 11.