Germany set for stricter measures as Disneyland Paris remains shut

GERMANY could toughen its virus rules after ministers warned more needs to be done despite falling infection rates.

Finance minister Olaf Scholz said the current lockdown may be extended by two weeks, until mid-February, as state premiers and leader Angela Merkel are set to discuss measures today.

Stricter home-working requirements, compulsory heavy-duty FFP2 masks in some areas, curfews and restrictions on public transport are being debated.

‘The (infection) numbers seem to be decreasing, which is good, but we are still a long way from where we want to be,’ health minister Jens Spahn said. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Germany rose by 7,141 yesterday, as the death toll increased by 214 to 46,633.

Elsewhere in Europe, Disneyland Paris has announced it will postpone its reopening by a month and a half due to ‘the prevailing conditions’.

Rather than February 13, it will now open on April 2 – ‘if conditions permit’.

France has suffered more than 70,000 deaths from the pandemic, but officials said they were on track to ‘comfortably’ reach the country’s aim of vaccinating 1million people by February. Meanwhile, in Belgium, an outbreak of the UK Covid variant closed two Antwerp schools and a spike in cases infected more than 100 people in a Houthulst nursing home.

And Swiss authorities quarantined two hotels and closed ski schools in St Moritz to curb an outbreak.

Italy reported 377 coronavirus-related deaths yesterday, the same amount as the day before, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 8,824 from 12,545.

However, testing also fell. Italy has registered 82,554 virus deaths since last February – the second-highest toll in Europe, behind only the UK.