Germany will not reduce restrictions against covid-19 (video of November 2020) 1:14
Berlin (CNN) -
Germany will enter a "hard" national lockdown, which begins this week and will continue through the Christmas period, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday.
This after agreeing to stricter measures with state governments to stop a wave of coronavirus cases.
Starting next Wednesday through January 10, all non-essential stores, services and schools will close.
The Christmas Day gatherings will be reduced from 10 people to just five from two different households.
This week, Merkel made a passionate request to Germans to limit their social contacts before the Christmas festivities.
Despite the country's respected healthcare system and early success in containing the virus, a recent partial shutdown has failed to stop second wave cases.
Germany recorded a record daily deaths on Friday, with 598 deaths recorded in a 24-hour span.
The new measures target traditional festivities: Christmas church services will be subject to prior registration and no singing will be allowed, alcohol will be banned in all public spaces, and an annual New Year's Eve fireworks display will be canceled.
Some states are also implementing additional measures, such as Bavaria, which will have a curfew from 9 pm.
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has promised financial aid for all companies affected by the closure.
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Coronavirus cases on the rise in Germany
On Sunday, Germany recorded 20,200 new coronavirus infections, 2,000 more than on Sunday last week, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the country's disease control agency.
The total number of infections is 1,320,716.
The death toll increased by 321 and reached a total of 21,787, according to the data.
Earlier in the week, the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg said it was introducing a curfew, which begins on Saturday and will last until January 10, in which people will only be able to leave the house for work and medical appointments. said State Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann at a news conference.
Meanwhile, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, the maximum number allowed to gather in public and private spaces has been reduced from ten people to five people in two households, according to the state's first president, Daniel Günther.
At a cabinet meeting on Friday, it was announced that the federal state of Thuringia would close retail stories as of December 19 and students would switch to online learning as of December 21 as part of the new restrictions, while, Earlier this week, it was announced German states of Saxony and Bavaria would adopt stricter lockdown measures.
- CNN's Nadine Schmidt and Zahid Mahmood contributed to the report. Amy Woodyatt wrote from London.
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