Germany clamps down on New Year's parties to tame omicron

BERLIN (AP) — Germany announced new restrictions Tuesday that will begin after Christmas to slow the spread of the new omicron variant, rules that will fall short of a full lockdown but will include contact restrictions even for vaccinated people.

“I can understand anyone who doesn’t want to hear about the coronavirus, mutations and new virus variants,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference Tuesday evening. “But we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to this next wave.”

Among the new rules are limiting private gatherings to 10 people, closing nightclubs nationwide and having large events like soccer matches held without an in-person audience. The restrictions will go into effect nationwide on Dec. 28, although states can implement the measures sooner.

Scholz said the government decided to wait until after Christmas to implement new national restrictions because family-focused holidays such as Christmas and Easter “have not proven to be major drivers of the pandemic." But he said restrictions on New Year's celebrations are necessary to keep Germany's health system from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases.

“This is no longer the time for parties and social evenings in big groups,” Scholz said.

Scholz and Germany's 16 state governors agreed on the new restrictions at a meeting Tuesday, after the government's new panel of experts called for action to be taken within days nationwide because the omicron variant is racing across Europe.

Scholz and the state governors will meet again on Jan. 7 to discuss whether the measures should be continued or even tightened.

Hours before the meeting, the national disease control center called on Twitter for “maximum contact restrictions” starting immediately and lasting until mid-January, and for Germans to reduce their...