BERLIN (AP) – Many German states came close to a “severe lockdown” on Tuesday as officials warned that persistent coronavirus infections could flood hospitals and many are ignoring existing epidemic restrictions.
The governor of Saxony, Michael Kretsmer, announced that schools and most stores would be closed from Monday to January 10, as Germany recorded the worst infection rates in the eastern state.
Figures released by Germany’s Disease Control Agency show the number of newly confirmed cases per week in Saxony is about 100,000 residents – about double the national average of 147.
In the neighboring state of Bavaria in the south, Governor Marcus Soder urged regional legislators to declare a state of emergency and support the government’s decision to impose strict new measures, including night curfews, more home schooling and stricter border controls.
“The second number is worse than the first,” Soder told parliament in Muni.
Germany avoided the large number of infections and serious deaths seen in the spring in some other major European countries, and overall mortality rates have dropped compared to countries such as Britain, France and Spain. But while the lethal growth in cases has slowed since sanctions were imposed in November, the numbers continue to rise.
The Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control agency, reported 14,054 newly confirmed cases in 24 hours on Tuesday, up nearly 1.2 million since the outbreak. The number of Kovid-19 related deaths in the country has risen from 423 to 19,342.
“Every four minutes in Germany, a person dies from a corona,” Soder told legislators. “This catastrophe is the biggest tragedy we have ever experienced.”
The Conservative governor, who is being touted as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s potential successor after next year’s national election, targeted people who have flouted existing rules or sought to evade them.
Soder said Bavarian officials would argue over what he called “Gluhaven Hopping” – an outdoor stall that forced mulled wine to be served and the bar closed. He also criticized the far-right alternative for the German party and its members, who have protested against the sanctions and in some cases falsely claimed that the coronavirus epidemic was over.
Saxony’s economy minister, Martin Dulige, similarly appealed to people to abide by state rules, which is a long-standing right.
“It may not be true that masks and measures are rejected. Areas have the highest number of infections,” he said. “There’s clearly a link.”
“It’s really a question of reason or unreasonableness. And Saxony needs to be grounded again for a reason.
Some other states said they would not relax the rules limiting social contact to up to five people during the Christmas period under the original plan, while others planned to ban the sale of alcohol outside.
The announcement came hours after officials at Germany’s National Academy of Sciences called for the ban to be lifted.
“Although the vaccination campaign is likely to begin soon, it is urgently needed from a scientific point of view that new infections can still be reduced very quickly through strict locking,” the experts said.
Merkel warned this week that the first coronavirus vaccine would not be available in Germany until early next year.
Officials in the country said last month that they wanted to set up mass vaccination centers by mid-December. But then the European Medicines Agency has scheduled a meeting on December 29 to discuss approval for the vaccine by the German company Bioentech and its US partner Pfizer.
In an interview with Berlin radio station Metropol FM on Monday aimed at Germany’s Turkish community, Merkel said the vaccine would probably be available and approved in Europe from the beginning of 2021, according to everything we now know. “
Britain’s regulators became the first worldwide to allow emergency use of the vaccine, and vaccination began on Tuesday.
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