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German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Sunday cautiously urged in light of the growing number of coronavirus infections, just as schools across the country are preparing to reopen.
“The virus does not make it easy for us,” Spahn told German broadcaster ARD.
“We are seeing the numbers rise again. It’s annoying, and it brings back uncertainty. Therefore, caution, testing and vaccination should continue to guide our path.”
Germany has been partially locked up since November and has managed to reduce the infection rate in recent weeks.
But the numbers then began to flatten and even slightly increase over the past few days, a trend that is to blame for the rapid spread of the more contagious British variant of the virus.
Experts warn that Germany could be at the start of a third coronavirus wave, even as the country’s 16 states begin to loosen some of their curbs.
From Monday, schools and day care centers in ten German regions will reopen.
Many schools plan to limit class sizes, along with other precautions, such as wearing a mask and airing out rooms, but critics have questioned whether the timing is right for the reopening.
Spahn said a balance needs to be struck between protecting Germans from the risks posed by new, more contagious virus strains and the need for children to have a “normal daily life”.
The impact of reopening of schools will be closely monitored before deciding on the next steps in the pandemic, he added.
“Once schools and daycare reopen, there will be millions more people on the way. We need to see what difference it makes to the mutations,” Spahn said.
“We can make no false promises about further relaxation,” he added.
Spahn and Germany’s 16 local health ministers will on Monday discuss the relocation of teachers and childminders higher on the priority list for vaccine.
If approved, they will move from Group 3 to Group 2, which will make them next in line once Germany has vaccinated most of its elderly people living in care homes.
Germany added another 7,676 cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total to more than 2.3 million since the start of the pandemic.
According to the Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control, more than 67,000 people have died from the virus.
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© 2021 AFP
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