Partial lockdown in Germany prioritizes in-person schools over dining out

BERLIN » German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a month- long partial lockdown on Wednesday, as intensive care beds rapidly fill and the country struggles to trace infection chains.

Bars, restaurants and theaters will close for a four-week period, while schools will remain open. Social contacts will also be further restricted.

As she outlined the measures in a news conference in Berlin, Merkel noted that the number of patients in the country’s intensive care units had doubled in the past 10 days.

“If this speed of new infections remains, we will soon reach the limits of our health- care system,” she said. “It’s clear we must act, and we must act now.”