Angela Merkel has backed compulsory vaccinations as leaders agreed to bring in a de facto lockdown for the unvaccinated. The German chancellor said that people who aren't vaccinated will be excluded from nonessential shops, as well as cultural and recreational venues. Speaking after a meeting with federal and state leaders, she said the measures were necessary in light of concerns that hospitals in Germany could become overloaded with people suffering Covid-19 infections. "The situation in our country is serious," Merkel told reporters in Berlin, calling the measure an "act of national solidarity".