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The number of coronavirus infections in Germany has increased for the fifth consecutive day and the government is now nervously watching the effects of easing the national blockade.
The German government’s approach to the outbreak, which is to conduct massive tests across the country, was widely praised by health organizations and gave it the appearance of succeeding where other states, such as Spain and Italy, had failed.
On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country would reopen social spaces, such as museums and zoos, and that religious communities could re-celebrate the services.
Religious services, such as that of this church in Kevelaer, Germany today, have been allowed to resume
Germany currently has an infection rate of R of 0.76 after increasing slightly yesterday
Since April 26, Germany’s infection rate has steadily increased. It increased by 1,639 today, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 160,758, according to the Robert Koch Institute, which has been monitoring the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Germany.
The deaths registered in the country today increased in 193, reaching 6,481.
Germany yesterday announced plans to reopen churches, playgrounds and museums, but delayed a decision on hotels and restaurants. Some stores and schools have already reopened.
Politicians have warned that Germany would have to reimpose blocking measures if the infection rate increases again when the restrictions are eased.
The closely watched transmission rate (R) briefly increased to 1.0 this week before falling again. It is currently at 0.76.
The increase in numbers has forced Merkel to announce that the blocking measures may need to be tightened.
Yesterday he said: ‘We must work to ensure that we further reduce the number of new infections.
“If the infection curve becomes steep again, we need to have a warning system to notice it early and be able to act.”
The chancellor added that the measures will be reviewed next week.
After a meeting with state prime ministers on Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the relaxation of the measures was just a “step”, with a more far-reaching plan to be agreed next week.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a press conference after the video conference with the prime ministers of the German states in Berlin yesterday. Merkel cautioned that blockade measures may need to be reinstated if cases continue to escalate
“It is still absolutely important that we be disciplined,” Merkel said, adding that the effects of the new relaxations will be carefully watched.
To receive visitors, institutions must comply with “hygiene, access control and queue avoidance requirements”.
Other decisions, such as when to open schools and restaurants and resume Bundesliga soccer, were delayed until next week.
Merkel said “clear decisions” would be made on May 6 about reopening schools and kindergartens, as well as allowing “certain sports endeavors to resume.”
Therefore, next week’s meeting is expected to produce a final decision on whether the Bundesliga can become the first of Europe’s top soccer leagues to resume play next month.
The top flight league has already laid out a plan to resume the season behind closed doors, and clubs began evaluating the players on Thursday.
In recent weeks, Germany has begun to ditch the stay-at-home measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, and stores have been able to receive customers again since last week.
The restrictions were relaxed after the infection rate dropped below 1.0, meaning that each person is infecting less than the other, instead of infecting five or six people.
With a relatively low death rate of four percent, Germany has been acclaimed for its success thus far in preventing its health services from being overwhelmed.
As the situation improves, voices grow louder within Europe’s largest economy for the government to move faster by lifting the restrictions that have seriously paralyzed the economy.
The shutdown that lasted more than a month has plunged the economy into a recession, which the government estimates will reach 6.3% throughout the year.
The ranks of unemployed people have also increased significantly, reaching 2.6 million in April from 2.3 million in March.
On Wednesday night, authorities also suffered a setback in their closure plans after the constitutional court banned religious services as “a serious violation of religious freedom.”
But like other countries looking for a way out of their blocks, Merkel is treading the fine line between allowing the economy to restart and avoiding a new wave of infections.
On Thursday, the chancellor insisted that “precaution is the order of the day.”
