Germany to extend restrictions as case numbers rise

GERMANY is likely to extend a national lockdown beyond Jan 10 to curb high infection rates that are putting huge strains on hospitals and health workers, politicians said at the weekend.

Angela Merkel, the chancellor, and regional leaders are expected to agree to extend the restrictions when they convene tomorrow. It is not yet clear how long the extension would last.

“The numbers are still too high, so we will have to prolong the restrictions,” Jens Spahn, the health minister, told RTL television on Saturday.

Germany imposed tougher social restrictions before Christmas, including closing restaurants and most shops. Even so, infections continued to rise and the death toll has hit more than 1,000 on some days.

Seven-day infection rates are currently at 140 per 100,000 people – well over the target of 50 that politicians have agreed would be safe enough to ease the curbs. But thanks to the new virus variant circulating, some want to wait until the rate falls to 25.

The Robert Koch Institute, the agency coordinating Germany’s pandemic response, reported 10,315 new confirmed cases yesterday and 312 fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 34,272.