German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that Germany would go into a “tough” national lockout starting next week and continuing until Christmas. After agreeing to take drastic measures with state governments to prevent corona virus cases.
As of next Wednesday, all essential shops, services and schools will be closed until January 10, and Christmas Day meetings will be reduced from 10 people to only five people from two different homes.
This week, Merkel made a plea to Germans to limit their social interactions before the holidays: despite initial success in having the country’s reputable healthcare system and virus, the recent partial lockdown has failed to stem a second wave of uprisings. Germany recorded daily deaths on Friday, with 59-hour deaths rising within 24 hours.
The new activities are aimed at traditional festivals: Christmas church services will be pre-registered, alcohol will be banned from all public places, and the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display will be canceled. Some states are also implementing additional measures, such as Bavaria, which will issue a curfew at 9 p.m.
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholes has promised financial assistance to all businesses affected by the lockdown.
Case Numbers: On Sunday, 20,200 new corona virus infections were reported in Germany – 2,000 more than on Sunday last week, according to Robert Koch, the country’s disease control agency. The overall infection number is 1,320,716. The death toll rose 321 to 21,787.
