[ad_1]
SEDAN: Germany will enter a strict lockdown for five days over Easter in a bid to stem rising rates of coronavirus infection, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday after marathon talks with regional leaders.
In addition to extending existing measures, which include keeping cultural, leisure and sports facilities closed until April 18, Merkel and Germany’s 16 state prime ministers agreed to a stricter closure between April 1-5.
Almost all stores will be closed for the five days and religious services will move online during Easter. Only supermarkets will be able to open on Saturday, April 3.
“The situation is serious. The number of cases is increasing exponentially and intensive care beds are filling up again, ”Merkel said as she sought to justify the stricter restrictions after 12 hours of talks.
Negotiations between the regional leaders of Germany’s 16 states and Merkel had been stalled for several hours over the thorny question of whether or not to allow national holidays during the Easter school holidays.
Some regional leaders had argued that it made little sense to allow people to fly to the Spanish island of Mallorca for their holidays while prohibiting residents from spending the night in their own state.
But finally, the leaders agreed “to make an urgent appeal to all citizens to refrain from making non-essential trips within the country and also abroad, also with regard to the next Easter holidays.”
Europe’s largest economy had begun easing restrictions, reopening schools for the first time in late February, before allowing hair salons and some stores to resume operations in March.
But Berlin and the federal states were forced to back off on relaxations this week as the numbers of new infections soared exponentially.
On Monday, the national incidence rate reached 107.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with more than 7,700 new cases and 50 deaths reported. AFP
[ad_2]
