German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes off her mask as she gives a press conference on the real situation amid the new coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, following a meeting with the so-called Crown-Cabinet, on November 2, 2020 in Berlin.
Kay Nietfeld | AFP | Getty Images
Germany will extend its national closure until the end of the month and introduce new tougher restrictions to try to control growing coronavirus infections, sources said on Tuesday.
The new rules, which are currently being discussed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the 16 German federal states, will for the first time ban non-essential travel for residents of affected areas throughout Germany.
In cities and districts where the number of new coronavirus cases exceeds 200 per 100,000 inhabitants for seven days, travel will be limited to a radius of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), according to sources.
In addition, members of any household will only be able to meet in public with another person, one source said. This compares to a current rule that public meetings are limited to five people from two households.
Like many other European countries, Germany is struggling to contain a second wave of the virus. Britain began its third closure of the Covid-19 on Tuesday with citizens being ordered to stay home.
There is growing concern that hospitals in Germany will struggle to cope.
“The coronavirus situation is very serious. We must continue to be difficult and we must not stop too soon,” tweeted Markus Soeder, the prime minister of the southern state of Bavaria.
Merkel and state ministers largely agree to keep shops and restaurants closed until the end of January, according to sources involved in the talks. Schools will also remain closed and classes will be held online until at least the end of the month.
Merkel is expected to announce the new measures at a press conference on Tuesday later.
Germany imposed a partial closure in November, but was forced to close schools, shops and restaurants in mid-December after the first steps failed to achieve the desired impact.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany rose by 11,897, to 1,787 million in the last day, the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases reported on Tuesday. The death toll rose from 944 to 35,518.
Germany launches a vaccine against Covid-19, but the media and some officials have criticized the government for a slow start and for ordering low doses. On Monday, about 266,000 people had been shot.