World News – USA – Germany’s Bavaria sharpens the curbs as the virus progresses

Click here to log in with

or

Forgot Password?

Learn more

6th. December 2020

The German region of Bavaria announced stricter coronavirus rules on Sunday, including local curfews and partial school closings, as case numbers remained high across the country despite five weeks of national restrictions.

As of Wednesday, Bayern will be asked to stay at home unless they have a valid reason such as shopping for groceries or visiting the doctor, said Prime Minister Markus Soeder at a press conference.

« Unfortunately the situation is serious . . . We have to do more, we have to act, « said Soeder, insisting that a partial national shutdown introduced at the beginning of November was not enough.

Under the so-called « lockdown light », cultural and sporting facilities as well as restaurants and bars were closed, with public gatherings being limited, schools and shops remaining open.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of state and government of the 16 German federal states agreed this week that the partial shutdown by 10. January to extend.

But according to the German federal system, ultimately every country has the right to decide whether the rules should be imposed.

Soeder said that in Bavaria after 9:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) there was a curfew in so-called hotspots with more than 200 new virus cases per 100. 000 inhabitants per week will apply.

Schools are being asked to switch some lessons online for older age groups, while those in hotspots need to move all classes online for older students.

MP and epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach welcomed the Bavarian restrictions and called for stricter curbs across the country.

« Shutting down the breakwater is nowhere near enough. It is unacceptable that we have nearly 500 deaths every day, « he told the Funke media group.

The number of new infections in Germany has increased in recent weeks, and the exponential growth in October has come to a standstill.

However, the number of infections is still high. The total number of cases passed the one million mark last week, and new cases consistently top 20. 000 per day.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care across the country has risen from just over 360 in early October to more than 4 now. 000 increased.

The disease control center of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported within 24 hours 17 on Sunday. 767 new COVID-19 infections – a significant increase compared to the 14th. 611 new cases last Sunday.

The numbers are usually lower on Sundays as new cases are delayed on weekends.

RKI boss Lothar Wieler said on Thursday that it is important that new cases decrease if the infection rate is to be brought under control.

The national measures agreed by Merkel and the Prime Minister limit public gatherings to five people from two households, but provide for the upper limit to be increased to 10 people over Christmas and New Year.

Soeder said that this relaxation in Bavaria would only take place from 23. until 26. December would apply, with the stricter rules coming back into effect for New Year’s Eve.

Some federal states, including Thuringia and the city of Berlin, have already introduced stricter rules for the Christmas season.

But resistance to virus restrictions is also growing in Germany. Some protests have become violent in the past few weeks.

Several hundred demonstrators gathered in the city of Düsseldorf on Sunday after a planned larger demonstration with up to 20. 000 people were banned at the last minute in Bremen on Saturday.

At a rally of almost 10. 000 people in Berlin in November, 77 police officers were injured when they dispersed the crowd with pepper spray and water cannons and arrested 365 people.

© 2020 AFP

Thank you for taking the time to send your valued opinions to the Science X editors.

You can rest assured that our editors closely monitor any feedback sent and take appropriate action. Your opinions are important to us.

We do not guarantee individual answers due to the extremely high volume of correspondence.

Your email address will only be used to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the address of the recipient will be used for any other purpose.
The information you enter will be displayed in your email message and will not be stored by Medical Xpress in any form.

Receive weekly and / or daily updates in your inbox.
You can unsubscribe at any time and we will never pass your data on to third parties.

This website uses cookies to support navigation, to analyze your use of our services and to provide content from third parties.
By using our website, you confirm that you have read and understood our privacy policy
and terms of use.

Coronavirus, Bavaria, Germany, Markus Söder, Lockdown, Angela Merkel