BERLIN (AP) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Germany was extending its restrictions on pandemics, including the closure of schools and shops, until mid-February amid concerns that new coronavirus mutations could cause a new increase in cases.
Germany’s infection rate has stabilized over the past few days, suggesting that existing restrictions could potentially reduce the numbers. The country’s disease control center reported 11,369 new confirmed infections and 989 deaths on Tuesday for a total death toll of 47,622.
“All our efforts to curb the spread of the virus pose a serious threat,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin, adding that experts linked the growing number of infections in Britain and Ireland to the emergence of a more contagious virus. there.
“Now is the time to guard against the dangers posed by this mutated virus,” she said.
Although individual cases of new variants have been found in Germany, scientists have said it is not yet predominant, she added.
“There is, so to speak, still time to limit the risk,” Merkel said.
In addition to the closure of restaurants, most shops and schools until February 14, Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states have agreed to require people to wear the more effective FFP2 or KN95 masks on public transport and shops. Employers will also be instructed to have staff, where possible, work from home to avoid infections in the office.
Merkel said the goal is to have fewer than 50 new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 residents per week. Germany’s nationwide average is currently 131.
The governor of the eastern state of Saxony, which until recently had the highest infection rates in the country, said it was important to further drive down the number of new cases.
“We are currently seeing in Britain what happens when a mutation occurs, when the numbers explode,” he told the news channel n-tv. “We can not stay at this level.”
Medical workers are demanding the extension or hardening of the shutdown, as many hospitals are still in operation, with intensive care centers and even crematoria reaching their limits. in some areas.
“The current measures to limit social contacts seem to have an effect,” Susanne Johna, head of the Marburger Bund medical association, told the dpa news agency, adding that the measures still need to be maintained to further reduce new infections. .
“We urgently need further relief,” Johna said.
Merkel acknowledged the growing concern in Germany about the impact the restrictions have on students, who face another four weeks of homeschooling.
“It’s a big strain for schools during the eight weeks,” she said. ‘But if we had conditions like in London, then we would no longer be talking about schools, but about ambulances and overcrowded hospitals. And we must avoid it at all costs. ”
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