BERLIN (AP) – Germany reported a record level of coronavirus deaths when a tougher closure entered Wednesday, closing shops and schools to try to drop new stubbornly high daily infections.
The country recorded 179.8 virus deaths per 100,000 residents over the past seven days, a new high and significantly more than the 149 per 100,000 reported a week ago by the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control center. .
It also surpassed the previous daily death toll, and the 16 German states reported that 952 more people had died from the virus, the institute said. This was well above the previous daily record set on Friday of 598 deaths, although it included two days of figures from the state of East Saxony, which did not report on Tuesday. It raised the overall number of pandemic deaths in the country to 23,427.
Faced with an exponential increase in cases in October, Germany implemented a “blocking light” in early November that closed bars and restaurants, but left shops open. The measures managed to stabilize the new daily infections but did not reduce them, which led to new stricter restrictions.
In addition to closing shops and moving children to remote learning during the few days before the Christmas holidays, private meetings are limited to two homes with up to five people, among other things.
Grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, and other businesses that provide services that are considered essential, including Christmas tree vendors, may remain open.
In Saxony, where the virus is spreading most rapidly in Germany right now, hospitals are filling up. The state governor said more drastic restrictions could be needed, which he called “pure poison” when there were still too many people leaving the city.
The restrictions are expected to last at least until January 10, but they have broad support, as the latest polls show that more than 80% of Germans approve of the blockade measures or believe they should be stricter.
“This year, I don’t think Christmas is that important, given the events we have in society right now,” said Stella Kretschmer, who was picking up a recipe in the western city of Cologne.
The 27-year-old student said she was in favor of closing the stores.
“For me, consumption is not the most important thing,” he said, although he “felt sorry for people who … have to fear for their jobs.”
Germany was widely praised for slowing the spread of the outbreak in the spring, but as people relaxed with distances and mask rules over the summer, the number of cases began to rise again.
Although new daily cases peaked at about 6,000 in March, they now exceed four times that level, with 27,728 new cases reported Wednesday by the Robert Koch Institute.
German officials have pressured the European Union regulatory agency to speed up the approval of a coronavirus vaccine and the European Medicines Agency has scheduled a meeting for this. With the forecast that vaccinations will start before the end of the year, German officials have urged people to remain patient and respect the regulations during the holidays.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said Germany was ready and could start vaccinations within two to four days after EMA approval.
“Towards summer, we will be able to return to normal, step by step,” he told RTL television on Wednesday.
___
Follow AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak