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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced the extension of current restrictions to combat the second wave of coronavirus infections until at least December 20, and perhaps January. More were added, but a partial relaxation of the measures was also decided during the Christmas period. On Wednesday, 410 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in Germany, the highest number since the beginning of the epidemic, with more than 18,000 new cases.
With the restrictions in place, bars and restaurants will be closed throughout the country, along with gyms and entertainment venues, from theaters to game rooms. Schools will remain open, with the obligation of the mask in certain situations, as well as shops and hairdressers. The possibility of exceptions decided by each Länder, the German federal states, is still contemplated, which, according to the German media, the debate on schools was especially lively.
Restrictions on private gatherings have been tightened: from a maximum of ten people, the ceiling has been lowered to five, and they come from no more than two different families. Travel for vacations until January is strongly discouraged.
“We have two messages for the people. First: “thank you”; but secondly, the current restrictions cannot be lifted. The exponential growth of infections has stopped, but the daily cases are still too many and our intensive care units are still very full, “said Merkel.
However, the German government has decided to provide a relaxation of the restrictions for the Christmas period. From December 23 to January 1, the limit of people who can be met will return to ten, from multiple families and not counting those under 14 years of age. However, the government has recommended that Germans undergo a period of voluntary isolation before and after the holidays, asking companies to be flexible and encourage working from home. School closings, again to avoid possible infections around the holidays, should be brought forward to December 16.
Merkel also spoke of the hypothesis of keeping German ski resorts closed until the beginning of January, if it will be the same for the rest of the Alpine countries: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has already said that he agrees, as does the President. The French Emmanuel Macron, while Austria said that something similar will be decided “the European Union will have to pay.” The risk, Conte says, is that if the Austrian plants remain closed, Italian tourists will go there for the holidays and come back with the coronavirus. In Switzerland, which is not part of the European Union, the plants are still open.
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