BERLIN – After months of offering free coronavirus antigen tests to all residents, Germany will stop subsidizing them for adults who choose not to be vaccinated, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Tuesday.

Starting October 11, when the changes take effect, testing will continue to be available free of charge to people under the age of 18, pregnant women, or others who have medical reasons not to get the vaccine.

Since March, the country has spent billions of dollars to offer at least one free antigen test per capita every week, which has led to a boom in private testing stations.

Ms Merkel met state governors on Tuesday to negotiate the new rules as infections, caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, are increasing, albeit more slowly than in many other parts of Europe.

German authorities have also agreed on new rules requiring proof of vaccination, recent recovery, or a negative test for certain indoor activities, including going to restaurants, hairdressers or the gym, once the rate weekly local infection exceeds 35 per 100,000 inhabitants.

As of Monday, authorities had recorded 23.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week nationwide. Currently, 55% of Germans have received the full vaccination course and 62.5% have received the first vaccine, a rate, as Merkel noted at her press conference, which was no longer among the highest of the European Union.

“We now have enough vaccines,” she said. “Now we have to promote vaccinations. “

In other news from around the world:

• In June, European Union leaders recommended that member countries reopen their borders to Americans, expecting repayment in kind. But nearly two months later, U.S. borders remain closed to most European travelers, even vaccinated. European leaders are frustrated and some have even suggested reimposing travel restrictions on American travelers. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the policy was “to ensure the safety of the American people at a time when the Delta variant is on the rise.”

• Facebook announced on Tuesday that it had removed a network of accounts based at Russia that spread misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. The network has targeted audiences in India, Latin America and the United States with messages falsely claiming that the AstraZeneca vaccine will turn people into chimpanzees and that the Pfizer vaccine has a much higher death rate than other vaccines, the company said. Facebook traced the messages to a marketing company operating out of Russia, Fazze, a subsidiary of AdNow, a company registered in Great Britain. Facebook said it deleted 65 Facebook accounts and 243 Instagram accounts associated with the company and excluded Fazze from its platform.

• Visitors from France who have been vaccinated outside the European Union with approved Covid-19 vaccines can now use a national health pass to enter bars, restaurants, cafes, gyms and other indoor locations, the government said this week . The pass is also required for large-scale events such as sports games and music festivals. Tourists from outside the European Union are increasingly concerned that they will be excluded from most social activities if their vaccination certificates are not recognized.

• Thousands of people flocked to the inoculation sites in Manila, the Philippines capital on Tuesday as reports revealed that unvaccinated people would not receive government welfare benefits.

• The latest wave of coronavirus infections in South Asia has been complicated by an increase in dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that spreads during the monsoon. The rise in dengue cases – which can present with symptoms similar to those of the coronavirus – is adding to the burden on already overwhelmed hospitals. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka experience some of the worst outbreaks of dengue fever, which in severe cases can be fatal. Dengue epidemics are also endemic in India, Nepal and Pakistan.