In the live ticker, NDR.de will keep you updated today about the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg. The events of Christmas Eve can be read here.
The essentials in brief:
Christmas Address: Bishops Call for Confidence
Infection medicine: Patience is still required despite the start of the vaccination
306 new corona cases reported in Schleswig-Holstein
RKI: Nationwide 25,533 new infections and 412 further deaths registered
What is allowed and what is not: This is how Christmas can be celebrated
Overview: Tables, maps and graphics on Corona in the north Background: Come on different case numbers conditions
8:52 am
Tense situation in old people’s and nursing homes
Not seeing relatives in the nursing home at Christmas is unbearable for many people in northern Germany too. Visits must be able to take place, almost everyone agrees. However, in the corona pandemic, this requires good planning. This is the current situation in Lower Saxony:
Anyone who wants to be close to a relative in a facility during the holidays needs good planning and time. more
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8:02 a.m.
Significantly fewer asylum applications in Lower Saxony
The number of asylum applications in Lower Saxony has decreased significantly this year. By the end of November, the authorities had recorded a total of almost 10,100 applications from refugees. That was about a third less than in the same period in 2019, according to statistics from the Interior Ministry. Last year there had been almost 13,400 asylum applications at the time. According to the information, the reason for the decline in the number of refugees can also be found in the corona crisis: At the height of the first wave of pandemics in spring, the statistics in May showed the lowest number of new asylum applications for more than five years at 413. Since the beginning of the year, most of the refugees came to Lower Saxony from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey. The number of voluntary departures from Lower Saxony also fell sharply in 2020. By the end of November, 530 rejected asylum seekers left the country voluntarily with financial aid, plus 299 departures without funding. These numbers were more than twice as high in 2019.
07:25 am
Bishops call for confidence
07:30 am
Bishops of the Protestant and Catholic Church in Germany have called for confidence in the corona pandemic for Christmas. The Chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and the Chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, turned to the TV viewers on ARD late on Christmas Eve. The pandemic has shown people their vulnerability and made many thoughtful, they said. The current situation can be understood as an invitation to a conscious life and a call to a new solidarity.
07:01 am
Infection medicine: “vaccination will not affect the epidemic for the time being”
According to the infection medicine specialist Prof. Helmut Fickenscher from the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, the start of the corona vaccination the day after tomorrow across Germany will “not affect the epidemic for the time being”. This is because “we simply have too many people to vaccinate and won’t have enough vaccine available for a long time,” Fickenscher told the German press agency. Residents of nursing homes in Schleswig-Holstein should be the first to be vaccinated on Sunday. According to Fickenscher, a favorable corona development in the coming year depends on whether the extensive vaccination coverage of the population is completed before winter 2021/2022. Before Easter, Fickenscher, who also advises the state government, does not expect any significant relaxation of the corona requirements. Perhaps some industries could reopen beforehand. But he only expects a relevant relaxation in everyday life when it is significantly warmer.
06:24 am
RKI confirms 25,533 new infections in Germany
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin reports 25,533 new infections with the corona virus nationwide within 24 hours. 412 other people reportedly died in connection with the corona virus. The seven-day incidence is 188.8.
The RKI points out – in comparison with the 30,277 new infections reported a week ago and 32,195 yesterday – that fewer people see a doctor and fewer people are tested over the holidays. This also means that fewer infections are transmitted to the health authorities.
06:23 am
306 new corona cases registered in Schleswig-Holstein
306 further corona infections have been reported in Schleswig-Holstein. Yesterday there were 722 new infections, on Friday a week ago 602. The seven-day incidence – the sum of new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants within one week – is currently 103.7 in Schleswig-Holstein (previous day: 110, 1).
06:23 am
Christmas Eve service without congregation, with “Silent Night”
The NDR television broadcast a Christmas service from Hamburg-Lohbrügge yesterday afternoon. Carlo von Tiedemann read the Christmas story, Jessy Martens sang “Silent Night” – and Pastor Jonas Goebel and NDR 90.3 editor Daniel Kaiser, who also works as a volunteer preacher for the Northern Church, spread comfort and confidence with their words. Here you can see the service in video:
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VIDEO: Christmas service on Christmas Eve from Hamburg (44 min)
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06:23 am
This is how Christmas can be celebrated
Over the Christmas period, the contact restrictions will also be eased slightly in northern Germany. Then a household can meet with up to four other people from the closest family circle from different households. Basically, however, the following applies: Even over Christmas, northern Germans should rather forego contacts due to the currently high number of new corona infections. You can read here which rules exactly apply in the federal states in the north:
At Christmas, the contact restrictions will also be eased slightly in northern Germany. What is allowed, what is not? An overview. more
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06:23 am
The NDR.de ticker begins on Christmas Day
6:15 am
The NDR.de team will also keep you up to date on the effects of the corona pandemic in northern Germany on the holidays. In the live ticker you will find all the important news today, as well as content from the NDR radio and television programs. We wish you a merry christmas!
Am Thursday 2,147 new infections were reported in Lower Saxony, 584 in Hamburg, 722 in Schleswig-Holstein, 151 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The state of Bremen does not report any figures over the holidays. 32,195 new cases were confirmed nationwide.
FAQ, podcast and background
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On December 16, public life in Germany was largely shut down. These rules then apply in the north. more
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The EU Commission has approved the first corona vaccine. So the vaccinations can start in the coming days. more
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The establishment of vaccination centers is almost complete. The first vaccination doses are expected in the north these days. more
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Here you will find all episodes broadcast so far for reading and listening to as well as a scientific glossary and much more. more
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Automated graphics: How many Covid-19 patients are in intensive care units? The current status of the occupancy. more
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At the end of 2019, a previously unknown lung disease breaks out in China and spreads worldwide. On February 27, there is the first case in the north. The most important events at a glance. more
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The corona pandemic has massively changed everyday life. What else has to be considered? What is being researched? Questions and answers. more
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