Germany – More restrictions to control the spread of Corona |...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for additional measures to be taken in major cities in light of the sharp rise in new infections with the new Coronavirus, in order to keep the pandemic situation under control.

The German Robert Koch Institute for the Control of Infectious Diseases announced today that the number of new infections that were registered in Germany during the past twenty-four hours reached 4,516, while the number was the first on Wednesday, 2828 new infections.

On Friday (October 9, 2020) in Berlin, Merkel said after a video conference with mayors of the 11 largest German cities that the development in urban areas shows “whether we can keep the pandemic in Germany under control or whether we are losing control of it.”

The mayors of Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Leipzig and Stuttgart participated in the meeting.

Merkel stated that these days and weeks are crucial for how Germany is going in the winter, adding that the goal should be to keep the numbers in a range in which every infection can be tracked and every contact can be reached and warned.

Merkel called for an understanding of restrictions such as curfews and alcohol bans, which have severely affected the restaurant sector, explaining that the main goal is not to close public life if possible again, as was necessary last spring.

Special appeal to youth

Merkel made a special appeal to young people urging them to abide by the rules of fighting the pandemic, and she said that young people may find the imposition of restrictions on celebrations or curfews exaggerated, wondering in return whether it is not worth the patience and thinking about the family and grandparents.

Merkel also indicated that vocational training opportunities are affected, for example, by the repercussions of the pandemic, stressing that the top priority is to keep the economy going and for children and youth to be able to go to day care centers and schools.

Military use and additional restrictions

The German News Agency (dpa) learned that the German Chancellor and the mayors of the cities agreed during their meeting to seek the assistance of experts from the army and the “Robert Koch” Institute in the areas where the new Corona virus is spreading; If 35 new cases of infection were recorded among every 100,000 people within seven days.

And cities will have to impose more comprehensive restrictions when the rate rises to 50 injuries at the latest. These restrictions include, for example, expanding the scope of the mandatory wearing of masks to include public places if the necessary distance cannot be maintained there, in addition to imposing restrictions on the operating times of restaurants and eating. Alcohol is there, as well as other restrictions on the number of participants in special events and celebrations. Large cities will have to lighten law enforcement authorities’ workloads to be able to monitor compliance with restrictions.

It is expected that the federal government and state governments will conduct consultations as soon as possible on how to use the federal and state police forces. Meeting participants agreed that if the increase in the number of infections does not stop after ten days, at the latest, then further restriction steps are inevitable.

Pch / p.k (dpa)