Almost total closure of public life in Germany before Christmas.
The federal Government and the States have agreed this Sunday to toughen the measures against the pandemic in a new attempt to stop the infections that continue to grow in the most populated country in the Union.
The shops, except the essential ones, will close as of Wednesday.
The schools will bring up the Christmas break in the beginning midweek and postpone their return until January 10.
Alcohol will not be sold on the street and contacts will be restricted, also on New Year's Eve.
The measures in force for six weeks have not been able to slow down the spread of the virus, which has again set highs in infections and deaths in recent days.
"The measures in force since November 2 have not been sufficient, for a few days we have seen how contagions have grown exponentially [...] there is an urgent need to act," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, before the press. after eleven in the morning.
He reiterated that the objective is that the health system does not collapse and that contacts can be traced again.
For that, the chancellor recalled, the incidence has to be less than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days.
That figure is a far cry from the current incidence of 169.1.
Germany managed to overcome the first wave with relative success, but the second wave is hitting the first European economy hard.
Infections in the last 24 hours have risen to 20,200 and deaths to 321, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
This is an unusually high figure, especially for the weekend, when the count slows down and the numbers tend to decline.
It also represents almost 2,500 more infections than the previous Sunday.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, 21,787 people have died, in a country of 83 million inhabitants.
After weeks of an upward stabilization, infections have started to grow again.
In its daily report, the RKI points out that "the high number of infections is due to diffuse transmission."
He explains that private houses, residences and dependency and occupational centers, as well as religious events are the main sources of infection.
But he also warns that the origin of "a large part" of these is unknown.
Starting on Wednesday, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and gas stations will remain open.
The rest of the shops will close.
Companies are encouraged to close facilities whenever they can establish a vacation period for workers or teleworking is possible.
The bars will remain closed and the restaurants will also be closed, except to sell food at home.
Culture and leisure will also remain closed.
The sale of alcohol in public spaces is also prohibited from midweek, which means the closure of the mulled wine stalls that have served these days as the last refuge to those who dared to meet on the street, with temperatures around zero degrees.
Whoever flouts the regulation will be fined.
Traditional New Year's firecrackers are also prohibited.
A maximum of five people, belonging to a maximum of two families, and not counting children under 14 years of age, may meet.
Between December 24 and 26, the meetings may be extended to four direct relatives and it is advisable to maintain a week of restriction of contacts between five and seven days before the family reunions.
The exception will not be applicable on New Year's Eve.
Religious services may be held in churches, mosques and synagogues, but as long as a mask is worn and a minimum distance of one and a half meters is maintained.
In schools, which are closed in principle from Wednesday to January 10, the care of students who cannot stay at home because their parents cover essential professions is guaranteed and distance education must also be facilitated.
The same will happen with day centers.
Paid leave is extended for parents who must take care of their children during the closing days.
The residences are in this second wave in Germany one of the great sources of contagion.
In the agreement reached between the States and the Federal Government, rapid tests are established for workers and visitors in areas with a very high incidence, as well as free FFP2 masks for users.
Traveling abroad is not prohibited, but it is discouraged as long as it is not strictly necessary, and 10-day quarantines are in force for anyone entering the country from a risk zone.
The quarantine may be shortened with a negative test carried out a minimum of five days from the entry into Germany.
The Bavarian Prime Minister, Markus Söder, announced that in Bavaria there will be a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
"The coronavirus is a catastrophe that affects our lives like no other crisis has in 50 years," he stressed.
"The situation is out of control," said the Bavarian leader whose state has been one of the most affected since the beginning of the epidemic.
The meeting of the federal government with the heads of the
länder
had started at ten in the morning of this Sunday, although on Saturday a principle of agreement had already been reached.
The pact comes after verifying that the soft closure in force since the beginning of November has not managed to stop the infections and that it is urgent to act before Christmas.
For six weeks, in Germany bars and restaurants have been closed, except for those that sell take-away food.
The blind was also lowered in theaters, cinemas, museums and in all kinds of cultural activities.
Those restrictions have not been sufficient.
Merkel has defended tougher measures from the beginning, but until now she had not achieved the consensus of the 16 federal states.
This week the chancellor delivered an emotional speech in the Bundestag urging citizens to reduce contacts in the face of the increase in the death toll.
The unquestionable rise in infections has now overcome possible reluctance to a federal pact.
Some States, however, given the worsening of the situation, have already unilaterally adopted more restrictive measures.
This is the case in Saxony, Berlin, Bavaria or Baden-Würtemberg.
Information about the coronavirus
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