Many German states favour extending COVID-19 shutdown

Many of Germany’s 16 federal states are in favour of extending a partial shutdown meant to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and make family gatherings over Christmas possible, one of the state prime ministers said on Monday.

“The (infection) numbers are subdued but they remain high,” Manuela Schwesig, premier of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, told Deutschlandfunk radio.

Germany imposed a month-long “lockdown-lite” from Nov. 2 to contain a second wave of the virus that is sweeping much of Europe, but infection numbers have not declined.

State premiers and Chancellor Angela Merkel are due to discuss new measures on Wednesday. They could extend the measures until Dec. 20, according to senior politicians and a draft proposal obtained by Reuters on Sunday.

Bars and restaurants are closed, but schools and shops remain open. Private gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households, and the draft proposal says that number would be reduced to five.

he number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 10,864 to 929,133, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 90 to 14,112, the tally showed. 

Photo: A protester walks in silence during a demonstration on Sunday against German coronavirus restrictions, in Berlin, Germany. EPA-EFE/ALEXANDER BECHER