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Original title: Germany decided to extend and strengthen epidemic prevention measures Merkel once again called on people to unite, with patience and self-discipline Source: International Online
△ Merkel at the press conferenceOn the 25th local time, German Federal Chancellor Merkel held a videoconference with the governors of 16 federal states. After nearly 10 hours of lengthy discussions, the parties finally reached a consensus on the new epidemic prevention draft presented by the state government and determined the next unified epidemic prevention measures for Germany.
Merkel candidly said at a press conference that night that although the mild version of the “blocking order” that Germany has implemented since November 2 has achieved some epidemic prevention effects, the number of new daily cases in Germany does not. it has remained exponential. However, this is not enough: the current serious epidemic situation “does not yet allow the government to relax restrictions.” He called on people to continue to maintain unity, patience, and self-discipline, and once again emphasized the importance of minimizing social contact. In Merkel’s opinion, the proximity of Christmas and the New Year means that December will be a special month, so greater efforts must be made and more measures taken in epidemic foci to effectively control the epidemic.
According to Merkel, the Federation and the states agreed to extend the current “blocking order” until early January 2021 and to tighten some restrictions. The main contents include:
1. The current epidemic prevention restrictions will be extended until at least December 20, that is, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues will continue to be closed; social contact restrictions will also tighten, only allowing no more than 5 people or members of two families to maintain privacy. For gatherings, children under 14 are not counted in the number limit; During the Christmas and New Years period from December 23 to January 1, regulations can be appropriately relaxed, allowing no more than 10 people or two family members to hold gatherings.
2. Further strengthen the passenger flow regulations of the retail industry, that is, in stores with a business area of more than 800 square meters, only one customer is allowed for every 20 square meters; In stores with a commercial area of less than 800 square meters, only one customer is allowed for every 10 square meters One customer.
3. Establish the third threshold for epidemic foci, that is, areas where the average number of confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 7 days exceeds 200 must implement stricter epidemic prevention measures. Currently, there are 62 cities and counties in Germany with an infection rate of more than 200.
4. At epidemic hotspots where the infection rate reaches 200 in 7 days, students in grade 8 and up must implement more stringent restrictions, such as a combination of online and offline courses or tiered classes, except for graduation grades and The state can determine the relevant policies itself.
5. Some public places, such as busy streets and squares, are prohibited from displaying fireworks, but the sale of fireworks is not prohibited throughout Germany, and specific prohibition rules are decided by local and municipal governments.
It is worth mentioning that if the infection rate is low, for example, the number of confirmed cases per 100,000 residents in 7 days is well below 50, then each federal state can decide whether to relax the above restrictions. The reverse is also true: federal states with higher infection rates should develop and implement stricter measures.
It is reported that the German Federation and the states plan to hold another meeting on December 15 to discuss the next step of the epidemic prevention policy based on the latest development of the epidemic.
