German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of individual federal states agreed on Wednesday (October 28) to introduce further restrictions due to the dramatically increasing number of detected infections.
Angela Merkel during a press conference after the decision to introduce further restrictions.
/FILIP SINGER / POOL /PAP / EPA
– We must act now – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday after consultations with prime ministers of the federal states on tightening the coronavirus regulations. “The disease curve must flatten again,” she stressed.
The head of the government described the new rules related to the coronovirus pandemic as “tough” and “troublesome”. In the media they are called “light lockdown”. The Chancellor noted that everything depends on society: – We depend on the will of citizens.
The Chancellor argued that a temporary “national effort” would be needed in November.
The deliberations took place “in a very serious situation,” Merkel said. – This day is difficult, also for political decision makers – she added. The chancellor warned that the healthcare system is still doing well, but if the pace of new infections continues, the system will reach its limits within weeks.
According to the new arrangements, members of only two households, maximum 10 people, will be able to stay together in public places. Theaters, operas, concert halls, cinemas, and amusement parks should be closed from 2nd to at least 30th November. Entertainment and recreational events will be forbidden. At the same time, restaurants, bars, clubs, discos and pubs are to be closed. The canteens will still be open.
Fitness studios, swimming pools and water parks will be closed. The amateur sport activity will be discontinued, so clubs will no longer be able to train. Individual sports such as jogging are still allowed. Accommodation offers for tourists will be prohibited. Beauty salons, massage parlors and tattoo studios will be closed, unlike hairdressing salons.
Schools and kindergartens will remain open despite the surge in coronavirus infections. The stores should also remain open, but there must not be more than one customer per 10 square meters.
The federal government also plans to help companies affected by the temporary closure. According to the dpa agency, which cites information from the participants of Wednesday’s meeting, it is a total of up to EUR 10 billion to compensate for the revenue lost in the pandemic.
14,964 new coronavirus cases were registered in Germany on Wednesday. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 464,000 have been registered in Germany. cases of COVID-19 infection and over 10,000 deaths.
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