Index – Foreign – Germany is completely closed

Due to the acceleration of the coronavirus epidemic, after the first wave of infection in the spring, a national shortage will be reintroduced that freezes most areas of social and economic life in Germany, Berlin announced on Sunday.

Angela Merkel at the press conference in Berlin on December 13, 2020

Photo: Bernd Von Jutrczenka / Reuters

Chancellor Angela Merkel said after her discussions with provincial heads of government. The precautionary measures introduced at the beginning of November have not managed to regain control of the spread of the new type of coronavirus, and the number of infections has risen again exponentially in recent days, the Chancellor explained the decision to mark the end of the holiday shopping season. MTI writes that as of Wednesday only stores that sell essential items will be open, and services that require direct physical contact will also have to be suspended, so hairdressers, for example, will close. Daycare and public education systems will be switched to on-call mode, and employers will be asked to allow working from home as widely as possible.