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But there is no relief: To stop the spread of the corona virus, several federal states want to tighten the requirements for Christmas. And there should be restrictions on New Year’s Eve too.
The continued spread of the coronavirus is forcing politicians to clamp down. More and more federal states are withdrawing the easing agreed upon during Christmas. Saxony is the first federal state to return to a harsh closure: schools, kindergartens, kindergartens and many stores will be closed from Monday, as announced by Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. The grocery store and stores for basic necessities must remain open. The restrictions should apply until January 10.
The virus has a much stronger force than it was in the spring, but people are not as serious about the situation, Kretschmer said. Currently, Saxony has the most new corona infections among the federal states.
Bavaria supports closures in retail
Bavaria also wants to take a harder course in the pandemic. Prime Minister Markus Söder supports the “strict lockdown” demanded by the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences with company closures starting at Christmas. If that becomes a recommendation from the Prime Minister’s Conference, Bavaria will follow suit, the CSU head said in his government statement in the Bavarian state parliament.
So far, the coalition of CSU and Free Voters has walked away from this step and, if the tightening of the protection measures against infections, which will apply from Wednesday, is based on restrictions in schools, stricter exit restrictions nationwide and night curfews at hotspots, as well as increased protection for residents of nursing homes and nursing homes.
There is no relaxation in Thuringia
Even the Thuringian state government does not want to relax the crown measures during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The situation is worrying, said Health Minister Heike Werner (Left Party). They assume that current restrictions are still in effect. For meetings, the upper limit of five people from a maximum of two households, said Social Affairs Minister Heike Werner. Children up to 14 years old are exempt from the rule of five.
In addition, the recommendations of the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences would be examined.
Rhineland-Palatinate tightened the rules immediately after Christmas
In view of the tense situation in the crown, Rhineland-Palatinate is already returning to stricter restrictions immediately after Christmas. Prime Minister Malu Dreyer announced that there will be no exceptions to the contact restrictions for New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve itself, parties or meetings with alcohol consumption would also be prohibited in all streets and public squares.
Dreyer emphasized that the infection situation did not allow the framework originally agreed between the federal and state governments to be fully exploited for flexibility during the turn of the year. Therefore, they should only be used from December 23 to 27. After that, the rule applies again, according to which only five people from two households can meet. Children under 14 do not count.
Schleswig-Holstein: “Definitely” No Relief Until January 10
Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther has ruled out a possible easing in his state until early next year. This “definitely” won’t happen until January 10, Günther said. He urged all citizens to minimize contacts and abide by restrictions.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania bans alcohol ration with immediate effect
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania prohibits the service of alcoholic beverages such as mulled wine in public with immediate effect. Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig said she views “events across Germany with concern.” Additionally, districts must define areas where mouth and nose protection are mandatory, Schwesig said.
The new rules also include that elderly residents and nursing homes can only be visited by one person per day.
Alcohol ban in Saarland and Hamburg
The Hamburg Senate had already announced on Monday evening that in certain urban areas the sale of mulled wine and other hot alcoholic beverages would be restricted until early January.
The Saarland also decided to ban alcohol in crowded places and streets, but only on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The current contact restrictions will be relaxed between December 23 and 27, the Saarland State Chancellery announced.
More than 14,000 new cases
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 14,054 new cases of infection in 24 hours, citing health authorities. That was 450 more new infections than Tuesday a week ago. According to the information, the number of deaths per corona increased by 423 to 19,342 in one day.
According to information from RKI, a total of 1,197,709 corona infections have been recorded in Germany since the start of the pandemic. The number of people recovered was around 881,800.
Politicians are concerned that after five weeks of the partial lockdown there are no signs of a drop in the number of new infections. Germany is far from the goal of reducing the number to less than 50 per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. No federal state is currently below the mark.
