Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, alongside successor Olaf Scholz, announced Thursday that unvaccinated citizens will be prohibited from entering nonessential public places, according to BBC News. Those who are unvaccinated will be barred from places such as restaurants, shops, bars or events, with the exception being if they have recently recovered from a case of COVID-19. "Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or recovered," Merkel saidin announcing the lockdown.