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Federal Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) has asked citizens to refrain from buying Christmas gifts in stores in the last two days before the harsh Corona blockade. “I wish and hope that people only get what they really need in terms of food,” Altmaier said Sunday night at the “Bild” political talk. It is about the health of many. “The sooner we get these infections under control, the better it will be for everyone.”
The number of new corona virus infections remains at a high level, even as German health authorities reported comparatively few new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) at the beginning of the week. 16,362 new cases were transmitted in one day, as announced by the RKI on Monday morning. That’s about 4,000 more cases than last Monday, when the number of new infections reported was 12,332.
The previous record was reached on Friday with 29,875 reported cases. On Sundays and Mondays, the number of cases published by the RKI is usually lower, not least because fewer tests are performed on weekends.
German health authorities also reported 188 new deaths in 24 hours. Exactly a week ago this value was 147. On Friday the previous high of 598 deaths was reached.
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Germany is returning to a harsh lockdown on Wednesday due to the increase in the number of corona infections and deaths. This was decided by the federal and state governments on Sunday.
Retail will remain largely closed until January 10. The exceptions only apply to supermarkets and some other stores, especially for daily needs. An extension of the total block cannot be ruled out. The federal and state governments will likely discuss this on January 5.
Altmaier recommended the vouchers as Christmas gifts, which could then be redeemed when stores generally reopen. When this is the case, “no one can responsibly predict” at this time. The benchmark for this is the evolution of the number of infections and deaths.
SPD Chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans also warned of a flood of retail customers on Monday and Tuesday. “The next two days will be decisive for the development of the whole month,” he said on the Internet program “Bild Live”. You have to avoid queues in front of the stores.
However, the HDE trade association does not expect stores to run. In the case of Christmas gifts, there could be a “higher number of customers” on Monday and Tuesday, HDE managing director Stefan Genth told “Handelsblatt.” But many clients certainly would have adjusted their plans for closure in recent days. Distributors have also demonstrated in recent months that they have functional hygiene concepts.
In the food trade, his association does not expect “hamster purchases,” Genth said. Customers have learned that supply chains and sourcing the population “work even under tough conditions.” (AFP, dpa)
