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Corona test station at a school in Neuwied, Rhineland-Palatinate
Photo: Joerg Niebergall / Eibner-Pressefoto / imago images / Eibner
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Rush to the pubs: sales in England doubled
4.40 a.m.:
The first opening day after months in lockdown brought record
income
to English pubs and restaurants.
Drinks were particularly popular on Monday, as the industry analyst CGA found.
The sale of beer, wine and sparkling wine in the pubs was 113 percent higher than on the same day in 2019. In the opinion of the experts, it is noteworthy that only outdoor restaurants are open and that the mornings in London and large parts of England were wintery temperatures .
Orders increased by 150 percent, and numerous businesses are booked out for weeks.
Enlarge image
Outside area of a pub in London
Photo: Alberto Pezzali / AP
It is estimated that almost 40 percent of the pubs in the UK's largest part of the country - around 41,100 pubs and restaurants in total - have enough outside space to open under the applicable rules.
All others are only allowed to open in the next step, which is planned for May 17th.
Overall, the year-on-year increase was 58.6 percent, as sales for food were even 11.7 percent lower than in 2019.
FDP calls for the opening times to be relaxed
04.25 a.m.:
In the fight against the economic consequences of the pandemic,
calls
in the FDP for a loosening of shop opening times are getting louder.
Stationary retail was hit hard, especially in the corona crisis.
"An equalization of the shopping times would lead to a lower density of people in the shops, especially in the food retail sector, and would therefore also be helpful for protection against infection," said FDP parliamentary deputy Michael Theurer of the newspaper "Handelsblatt".
A liberalization of the shop opening hours is therefore »overdue« so that the classic retail trade can hold its own against online trade.
Second corona wave hits Argentina: government imposes lockdown
03.20 a.m.:
In view of the second wave of the corona pandemic in Argentina, the government in Buenos Aires has again imposed strict exit restrictions for large parts of the South American country.
In the greater Buenos Aires area, a curfew will apply from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday, as President Alberto Fernández announced on Wednesday (local time).
The only exceptions are workers in essential sectors.
All social, sporting, cultural and religious events in closed rooms are prohibited.
Schools and kindergartens close until the end of April.
Around 14.8 million people live in the metropolitan region of Buenos Aires - this corresponds to around 37 percent of the total population of Argentina.
Recently, the number of new infections in Argentina had reached new highs.
A good 27,000 new corona cases were registered on Tuesday - more than ever since the pandemic began about a year ago.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 368 Covid-19-related deaths - the number since mid-January.
In total, around 2.6 million people in the South American country have been shown to have been infected with the coronavirus, and over 58,500 patients have so far died in connection with Covid-19.
Economically, expect further economic upswing in the second half of the year
03:05 a.m.:
Despite the extended corona lockdown, the so-called economic
wise men
expect the German economy to recover in the second half of the year.
"We continue to expect growth of around three percent in the current year," said Monika Schnitzer, member of the expert council for assessing the overall economic development of the "Rheinische Post".
"The economic situation has not deteriorated noticeably since mid-March, the sentiment indicators continue to point upwards, and incoming orders from industry have increased."
Even if the lockdown lasts a little longer than expected, it currently does not justify a downward correction of the forecast, added Schnitzer.
"Because the industries affected by the lockdown only account for a small part of the added value, and besides, the trade is not completely closed." According to Schnitzer, growth of four percent is possible again in 2022.
The leading German economic research institutes will present their joint spring report on the economic development in the corona crisis on Thursday.
The five institutes submit their so-called joint diagnosis twice a year on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics.
cop / dpa / AFP / Reuters