Bavaria limits in-person schooling, ditches New Year easing of rules
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Berlin (dpa) – In the German state of Bavaria, older students will be increasingly taught remotely and a planned easing of rules for New Year celebrations has been cancelled as the coronavirus pandemic keeps the region in its grip.
State premier Markus Soeder said on Sunday that for New Year the existing restrictions – that only five people from two households can meet – will stay in place. The limit only be raised to 10 people for the Christmas period between December 23 and 26.
Soeder said that from grade eight onwards, classes will be split and the groups will alternate attending school or be taught remotely. If the number of new infections within seven days rises above 200 per 100,000 inhabitants, all students in this age group will be taught remotely, he added.
The new rules come into force on Wednesday.
Bavaria is among the German states with the highest number of new infections with 175 per 100 000 inhabitants over seven days. The eastern state of Saxony tops the list with 301, followed by Berlin with 182.
Across Germany, an increasing number of patients suffering from Covid-19 have to be treated in intensive care wards, raising fears of capacities running low.
According to the Robert Koch-Institute, 4,100 patients were in intensive care, the third day in a row that this number topped previous highs. Some 17,767 people were newly infected. Reported numbers tend to be lower on weekends.
The institute said that Saturday 482 people died in connection with the virus within 24 hours, the second-highest daily number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Photo Bavarian State Prime Minister Markus Soeder puts on a protective mask after a press conference after a State Cabinet meeting in Munich, Germany, 06 December 2020. Faced with rising case numbers during the ongoing pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Bavaria, the State Government is installing stricter safety measures. EPA-EFE/PHILIPP GUELLAND
