German health authorities will allow all adults to sign up for vaccine appointments beginning in June, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.
The announcement came after a meeting with lawmakers to discuss lifting social restrictions for fully vaccinated people, a sign that Germany may be moving closer to emerging from its latest lockdown.
“We will enter a transition phase, which is also not easy,” Ms. Merkel told reporters after discussing the country’s vaccination drive with state governors. Right now, Germany is focusing on vaccinating people 60 or older, or who are ill, or who work in certain professions.
Germany’s vaccination campaign has picked up speed after a sluggish start, and on average, more than 485,000 people a day are now getting a shot in the last week. About 23 percent of the population has had at least one dose, and 7.2 percent are fully vaccinated. Germany lags far behind Britain, which has given at least one dose to 51 percent of its population, or the United States, with 42 percent.
The German lawmakers also discussed when and how to relax certain daily restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated, but did not decide on concrete measures.
Asked whether Germans might travel during the summer, Ms. Merkel responded, “The faster we get through this serious phase, the faster hope will spread.”