It was a comparatively short voting round on Sunday between Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the prime ministers of the federal states. Then it was clear: From Wednesday the retail trade will be closed, only shops for daily needs may remain open. Hairdressers? Sports studios? To! Restaurants and cafes – anyway. There are also strict contact restrictions in private life. But all of these rules, called hard lockdown, will only become noticeable after a delay.
After the deliberations on Sunday: Chancellor Merkel (second from left) accompanied by Berlin’s Mayor Müller, Finance Minister Scholz and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Söder (from right)
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The German Hospital Society is initially expecting a further increase in the number of corona patients in intensive care units. “In the next two weeks, the number of infections will initially rise again. The lockdown will only take effect after a delay. I expect the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units to rise from currently around 4500 to 5000 at the turn of the year,” he says President of the hospital society, Gerald Gaß, the editorial network Germany RND.
Hamster purchases, wishlists?
That’s the medical side. But how do German citizens, who are also consumers, behave shortly before Christmas? The trade association HDE generally does not expect a run on the shops as a result of the impending severe corona lockdown. “We do not expect hamster purchases in the food trade,” said HDE managing director Stefan Genth to the “Handelsblatt”. The customers have learned that the supply chains and the supply of the population “work even under difficult conditions”.
However, there could be “increased customer traffic” for Christmas presents in the next two days. And at this point at the latest, the federal government’s concern resumes. Chancellery Minister Helge Braun called on the population not to use the two remaining days with shops open for extensive Christmas shopping in the city centers. The corona infection numbers are now so high “that we have to immediately reduce contacts,” said the CDU politician on ARD. Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) also urged citizens to refrain from buying Christmas gifts in stores on the last two days before the tough Corona lockdown. Because of the risk of infection, people should only go shopping for “bare essentials”.
Worry about crowded city centers until Wednesday
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In the ARD program “Anne Will”, the Prime Ministers Armin Laschet (CDU) from North Rhine-Westphalia and Manuela Schwesig (SPD) from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania justified the lockdown measures. The main focus of the debate here was the restriction that private gatherings should “in any case” be limited to a maximum of five people from two households. Children up to 14 years of age are exempt from this. From December 24th to 26th, countries may vary slightly. Then celebrations in the “closest family circle” are allowed, even if this means more than two households or five people over 14 years.
Financial aid for families required
Meanwhile, the German Child Protection Association has called for financial help for low-income families. “We are now spending a lot of money to save pubs, restaurants and retail outlets. Poor children shouldn’t be left behind any more than they already are,” said President Heinz Hilgers to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The hard lockdown is a great challenge for all families. However, there are social differences that politicians have to be aware of: “If you have a house and a garden, contact restrictions are certainly easier for you than families whose living conditions are more cramped,” said Hilgers.
ml / rb (dpa, afp, rtr)
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