BERLIN (AP) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that Germany is extending its restrictions on the pandemic, including the closure of schools and stores, until mid-February amid concerns that new coronavirus mutations could trigger a further increase. of cases.
Germany’s infection rate has stabilized in recent days, indicating that the existing restrictions may have been effective in reducing the numbers. On Tuesday, the country’s disease control center reported 11,369 new confirmed infections and 989 deaths, for a total death toll of 47,622.
“All of our efforts to stem the spread of the virus face a serious threat,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin, noting that experts have linked the rise in infections in Britain and Ireland to the appearance of a more contagious virus variant there.
“Now is the time to protect against the danger posed by this mutant virus,” she said.
Although individual occurrences of new variants have been found in Germany, scientists said they are not yet dominant, she added.
“There is still time, so to speak, to contain the risk,” said Merkel.
In addition to extending the closure of restaurants, many stores and schools until February 14, Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed to require people to use the most effective FFP2 or KN95 masks in public transport and in stores. Employers will also be required to allow employees to work from home, whenever possible, to avoid infections caused by the office.
Merkel said the goal remains to have less than 50 new cases of coronavirus per week for every 100,000 inhabitants. Germany’s national average is currently 131.
The state governor of Saxony, which until recently had the highest infection rates in the country, said it is important to further reduce the number of new cases.
“We are currently seeing in Britain what happens when a mutation occurs, when the numbers explode,” he told the n-tv news channel. “We cannot remain at this level.”
Medical workers have demanded an extension or hardening of the shutdown, as many hospitals are still on the edge, with intensive care wards and even crematoriums reaching their limits in some areas.
“Current measures to limit social contacts appear to be having an effect,” Susanne Johna, head of the Marburger Bund doctors’ association, told the dpa news agency, adding that the measures must continue to be maintained to further reduce new infections.
“We urgently need more relief,” said Johna.
Merkel acknowledged the growing concern in Germany about the impact that restrictions are having on students, who face another four weeks of home schooling.
“It is a great strain for schools, at eight weeks,” she said. “But if we had conditions like in London … we wouldn’t be talking about schools anymore, we would be talking about crowded ambulances and hospitals. And we have to avoid that at all costs. “
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