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Germany will introduce a full lockdown for five days over Easter weekend. This was announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel after a long nightmare with state leaders. – We are in a new pandemic, due to the new variant of the virus, he says.
The German chancellor announced Tuesday night that a total blockade awaits the country over Easter weekend.
Between Maundy Thursday April 1 and the second day of Easter on April 5, almost all stores will be closed and religious gatherings can only take place online. Grocery stores will only be open on Saturday, April 3.
– The situation is serious. The number of infected people is increasing exponentially and intensive care units are being replenished, Angela Merkel said after twelve hours of negotiations with state leaders.
In addition, the restrictions that apply today will be extended until April 18. This means that, among other things, sports, leisure and cultural facilities will remain closed.
The question of whether Germans would be allowed to travel nationally during the schools’ Easter holidays locked up negotiations between Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states for several hours. Finally, it was agreed to call on all citizens to refrain from making unnecessary trips within the country, as well as abroad, during Holy Week.
The new, tougher restrictions come after Germany recently began easing restrictions. Schools reopened at the end of February and hair salons and some stores have been able to start operations again in March.
But, among other things, Berlin had to pull the handbrake this week, after a sharp increase in new infections. The British variant now dominates the spread of the infection in Germany, Merkel says, calling it a new pandemic.
– Basically, we have a new virus. It is much more deadly, much more contagious and contagious for a long time, says Merkel.
Covid-19 in Germany
Germany, which has 83 million people, managed relatively well during the first wave of the pandemic. During the fall, however, the number of new cases and deaths increased dramatically, causing a very difficult situation around Christmas.
After a few calmer weeks, the spread of the infection resumed, and a week and a half ago, the infection control authority RKI declared that Germany is now in the third wave. One explanation for the deteriorating situation is that the contagious variant of the British virus is increasingly taking over, as in Sweden.
Since the start of the pandemic, 2.7 million cases have been confirmed in Germany. Almost 75,000 people have died.
Source: RKI
