German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes off her face mask while giving a press conference on the current situation in the midst of the new coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, after a meeting with her so-called Corona-Cabinet on 2 November 2020 in Berlin .
Kay Nietfeld | AFP | Getty Images
Germany is expected to extend its national blockade until the end of the month and introduce new tougher restrictions in an attempt to gain control of the rise in coronavirus infections, sources said on Tuesday.
The new rules, which are currently being discussed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states, will for the first time ban non-essential travel for residents of affected areas across Germany.
In cities and districts where the number of new coronavirus cases is over 200 per 100,000 residents in seven days, the trip will be limited to a radius of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles), the sources said.
In addition, members of any family will be allowed to meet only one other person in public, said one of the sources. This compares with the current rule that public meetings are limited to five people from two families.
Like many other European countries, Germany is struggling to contain a second wave of the virus. Britain began its third Covid-19 blockade on Tuesday with citizens on orders to stay home.
There is growing concern that hospitals in Germany will have difficulties in dealing with the situation.
“The coronavirus situation is very serious. We must remain firm and we must not stop anytime soon,” tweeted Markus Soeder, the Bavarian state’s premier in the south of the country, before the talks.
Merkel and the state premieres have largely agreed to keep stores and restaurants closed until the end of January, sources involved in the talks said. Schools must also remain closed, with online classes, at least until the end of the month.
Merkel is expected to announce the new measures at a news conference on Tuesday.
Germany imposed a partial blockade in November, but was forced to close schools, shops and restaurants in mid-December, after initial measures did not have the desired impact.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 11,897 to 1,787 million on the last day, the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases said on Tuesday. The death toll increased by 944 to 35,518.
Germany is launching a vaccine against Covid-19, but the media and some officials have criticized the government for a slow start and asking for low doses. As of Monday, about 266,000 people had been shot.