Germany enters strict Christmas lockdown as Covid-19 deaths jump by staggering 952

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin on Wednesday
AP
Michael Howie16 December 2020

Germany has entered a strict lockdown as the country recorded a staggering 952 further coronavirus deaths.

The latest number of single-day Covid-19 fatalities exceeds the country’s previous record by 354 and comes amid a surge in the virus which one minister admitted is now “out of control”.

Alarmed at the spread of the infection, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 state governors on Sunday announced a tough lockdown until January 10 at the earliest.

That came into force on Wednesday, with schools and non-essential shops having to close. The pre-Christmas ramping up of measures follows a partial lockdon in November that closed bars and restaurants - but failed to contain a second wave of the pandemic.  

The scale of the crisis was starkly highlighted by shocking data released by the country’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, which announced the sharp rise in the death toll, which now stands at 23,427. A further 27,728 cases were confirmed, taking Germany’s total to 1,379,238.

It all looks very different to the first wave in the spring, when Germany managed to keep the coronavirus under control unlike other European nations like Italy and Spain. 

The number of new infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days stands at around 180 across Germany, a figure similar to the UK.

Under the new lockdown, private gatherings will be limited to a maximum of five people from two households. The rule will however be relaxed slightly over Christmas when an additional four close family members will be allowed to meet.  

New Year celebrations will also be severely curtailed, with no street gatherings and a ban on fireworks.  

Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers on Tuesday she was “worried” about the way pandemic was heading, and said January and February would be very tough months with rising numbers of intensive care patients.  

Meanwhile, the country’s economy minister, Peter Altmaier, warned the outbreak was “out of control” after “exponential growth” in the number of infections an deaths in recent days. 

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