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Berlin is planning significant restrictions for retailers and schools to contain the corona pandemic. The ruling mayor Michael Müller (SPD) announced it on Thursday in the Berlin House of Representatives. “We will have to close the retail trade. Beyond the food retail trade, all other shopping offers must be closed before January 10, there is no other way,” Müller told the plenary session.
According to Müller, it is not yet clear when it will be applied, but it may be before Christmas. “I still can’t tell you the specific day if it’s the 23rd or the 20th, because we have to do it and we want to coordinate it with Brandenburg,” he said.
Berlin stores are likely not open for pre-Christmas shopping on the fourth Sunday of Advent. “We cannot allow that,” Müller said. He himself saw the situation at the Tauentzien on Sunday, December 6, when it was open to the public. “It doesn’t work like that. A lot is happening, there is a dense crowd in the streets,” Müller said, describing his impressions. And if you take into account that on December 20, people from Brandenburg entered the city and the “typical Christmas fever” broke out shortly before the festival, “then situations arise in the retail and shopping streets that we cannot accept” .
Müller continued: “In a global crisis in which people are dying, we cannot say that this Sunday of Advent is more important to us.” He states: “The health of Berliners is more important to me than a shopping experience.”
From the point of view of the SPD politician, there must also be consequences in the schools: “There is an incredible amount of contacts through school events, through lessons. And we have to avoid contacts,” Müller said. “Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that we have to extend our school holidays until January 10 or that it is also a variant to let the holidays end on the 4th, but then the students in digital form or in another way of teaching “. Müller announced that he would propose this to the Senate on Tuesday. “We will discuss this amongst ourselves. I think it is a viable option.”
RKI boss Wieler on the crown situation: “That’s worrisome”
The number of new coronavirus infections has reached a new record in Germany. Health authorities reported 23,679 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in 24 hours, according to figures from Thursday morning. The highest value to date was reached on November 20 with 23,648 reported cases. In the previous week there were 22,046 new cases on Thursday.
The current increase is “worrying,” RKI chief Lothar Wieler told a news conference. “The infection process can be reversed quickly. The number of cases can rapidly increase exponentially again. A few additional cases are sufficient for this.” The reduction in contacts due to current restrictions is simply not enough so far. Current measures have resulted in a contact reduction of around 40 percent. But 60 percent is necessary. “If that doesn’t work, then I don’t see any other option,” Wieler said when asked about a strict lockdown.
In some regions, preventing new infections appears to be better than others, Wieler said. The situation is particularly worrying in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia, but also in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, said Ute Rexroth, head of the RKI situation center.
Unlike summer, nowadays there are no longer mainly individual large shoots, but rather a “fuzzy occurrence”. According to the RKI, there are about twice as many outbreaks in nursing homes and nursing homes compared to spring. That is why it is important to limit the virus by reducing person-to-person contact.
The death toll rose above the 20,000 mark. The RKI recorded 440 new deaths in one day on Thursday. The day before, a maximum of 590 deaths had been reported. The number of daily deaths has tended to rise recently, which was expected after the sharp increase in new infections. The total number of people who died with or with a proven Sars-CoV-2 infection increased to 20,372.
In total, the RKI has counted 1,242,203 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic. Around 922,100 people are estimated to have recovered. Wieler said antibody studies suggested that around one in seven people at some hotspots had already been infected with the virus. But when it comes to the general population, it is different. “We have to assume that, on average, only a small percentage of the population is infected.” About 1.5 percent have tested positive. Even with an undeclared figure, the value is certainly in the single digit range.
Söder for “complete lockdown”
The Bavarian Prime Minister has spoken out in favor of a “total lockdown” from Christmas to January 10. “Just shut down everything from stores to company holidays at many companies. If everyone participates, that would be great. Then we would have just under three weeks where we could just cut back on contacts. A better time than the time between Christmas and 10 am. January will not be found for the entire year, “the CSU chief said Wednesday night on ZDF’s” Markus Lanz “panel discussion.
Söder was confident that there would be a round between Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the ministers of state before Christmas. Due to the Chancellor’s appointments at the EU summit, this could happen at the earliest on the weekend or early next week.
Schleswig-Holstein also wants a hard lockout after Christmas
Like NRW, the Schleswig-Holstein state government now wants to significantly toughen the wreath measures after Christmas. Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said on Wednesday that it was necessary “for us to enter a hard lockdown before Christmas at the latest to take advantage of the time during the turn of the year to stop this dangerous development in Germany.”
Earlier, in a speech to the state parliament in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein had weathered the pandemic comparatively well because the state had taken a particularly strict path. “We want to take these tough measures now,” Günther said. The country will only be able to emerge from the crisis if it continues on its hard path. Günther also announced a ban on serving alcohol in public.
According to the state government, 314 new corona cases were recently reported in Schleswig-Holstein in one day. The highest number was recorded on December 4 with 318 new infections.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet is also calling for the crown’s measures to be tightened. At a press conference on Wednesday, he spoke in favor of the closure of public life in Germany as of December 27. Germany is “in a dramatic situation,” he said. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina. The academy had called for the closure of business and an extension of the Christmas holidays until January 10.
A lockdown, comparable to the measures taken in March, offers an opportunity to break the current high incidence and start the new year with minuscule numbers, Laschet said. With a view to possible vaccines, there could be a more normal life in 2021 after a successful shutdown.
The timing of the lockdown is good because the damage to education during the Christmas holidays is low and many people can work from the home office. Now the federal states must agree on a common regulation for the extension of winter holidays. A nationwide solution is needed here, said the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of new corona infections in NRW continues to increase slightly. On Wednesday, the so-called seven-day incidence nationwide was 147.5. On Tuesday it was 146.4, on Wednesday of last week it was 137.7. According to RKI statistics, nearly 26,500 people were re-infected at NRW in seven days.
