The new Covid health pass entry rules announced by the central state of Hesse have upped the pressure on the unvaccinated by allowing all shops to implement the so-called 2G rule at their doors.

The 2G rule refers to public places being given the option to allow entry only to vaccinated (geimpft in German) or people who've recovered from Covid (genesen). and has so far been allowed in half of Germany's states for certain public places like bars, restaurants, nightclubs and cinemas.

The government in Hesse said that it had taken the decision to go a step further and allow shops to bar entry to the unvaccinated "at the request of the sector".