Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany's 16 state premieres have announced new COVID-19 measures aimed at tackling a fourth wave of the virus.

Government officials have grown increasingly worried about the slow pace of the nation's inoculation drive in recent weeks, as new infections tied to the Delta variant have increased. 

"After the number of infections fell in spring and were at a low level in summer, they have increased again in recent weeks," a statement after the meeting said. "How the number of infections develops depends largely on how high the vaccination rate is in Germany."

In a press conference after the meeting, Merkel said that people who did not get vaccinated would have to complete regular testing in order to safely enjoy many parts of public life. However, she added the cost of free rapid antigen tests would no longer be covered by the government from October 11.

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Additional rules, which are similar to France's health pass program, will require many indoor establishments and high-risk activities to demand proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test result before admitting clients.

The decisions reflect an overall goal to encourage more German citizens to get vaccinated, without requiring them to do so. Merkel has said previously that she would not require any profession to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The nation's inoculation rate remains comparatively low, with around 55 percent of citizens now fully vaccinated, compared with higher figures in other parts of the European Union. 

"The bad news is that the vaccination rate has lost pace substantially," Merkel told a news conference after the meeting.

Officials have been pushing German citizens to get vaccinated for weeks, now that jabs are open to everyone aged 12 and older and with most vaccination centers not requiring an appointment. 

Merkel said she would like 75 percent of the population to be fully vaccinated by the fall. 

"The current infection rates are not sufficient to be carefree," added Markus Soeder, the Bavarian state premier and party leader of the CSU. 

He said the premiers discussed the feasibility of another lockdown if new infections reached dangerous levels in the fall, but all sides agreed such measures would not be put in place for vaccinated people.