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Germany will enter a four-week lockdown from November 2, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced.
Details include:
- Bars and pubs to close
- Restaurants to close except take away
- Gyms, cinemas and theaters to close
- Private gatherings prohibited for more than 10 people and more than two households
- Hotels to close to tourists and stay open only for essential reasons
- Non-essential travel is discouraged
- Stores to stay open but with less than one person per 10 square meters
- Schools, kindergartens and nurseries that will remain open
Restaurants have taken a hit, ordering to close again
Merkel said she “wants to make sure” nursing homes can still receive visitors during the closure, which will be reviewed in two weeks.
He said “tough measures” were necessary to avoid the overwhelming number of hospitals as Germany faces coronavirus deaths and cases.
“We need to act now,” he said, adding that the key to defusing the “very serious” situation was to reduce contacts and limit the damage to the economy.
Explaining her reasoning for the country’s second national shutdown, the chancellor said the number of full intensive care beds had doubled in 10 days.
Track and trace efforts had been inundated with new cases, leaving the origin of three-quarters of the infections a mystery.
While the virus is growing exponentially and the “doubling of cases has gotten faster,” Merkel said she believed this short, sharp lockdown could slow it down and ensure that hospitals can continue to cope.
Stores in Germany will remain open but with stricter social distancing
“If the rate of infections continues like this, we will reach the limits of what the health system can handle in a few weeks,” he said.
The country’s 16 state governors agreed to the shutdown via video link.
Hours earlier, Germany’s disease control agency confirmed a record 14,964 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in one day, bringing the national total to 449,275.
It also reported 27 more deaths related to the virus, bringing its death toll to 10,098, the Robert Koch Institute said.
And the country is not alone in its growing concern over the rapid spread of the pandemic.
France is expected to announce tougher measures soon
The World Health Organization warned that Europe has faced a 35% increase in deaths in seven days compared to the previous week.
France is expected to follow Germany’s lead and enter its own four-week national lockdown, local media widely reported.
France on Tuesday reported its highest daily death toll since April, with 523 deaths related to the virus. It has also been confirming tens of thousands of cases each day, with a record 52,010 reported on Saturday.
And more than half of the country’s intensive care units are filled with COVID-19 patients.
Recent protests against the blockade have turned violent in Rome
Belgium, the Netherlands, most of Spain and the Czech Republic are experiencing similarly high infection rates.
European governments have been desperate to avoid national lockdowns for fear of further economic pain, and protests have erupted in several countries that have tightened measures.
Some demonstrations against the blockade have turned violent, including in Italy, where far-right protesters clashed with police in Rome, Turin and Naples.
