Germany set to ease coronavirus restrictions but remain vigilant

The German federal government is set to ease coronavirus restrictions, but will remain vigilant should spikes in new infections occur, as the country’s top disease control official warned that second and third waves of infections are likely on the horizon.

Chancellor Angeka Merkel and the heads of the 16 state governments will hold a telephone conference on Wednesday afternoon and are expected to agree on an across-the-board easing of restrictions put in place to stem the spread of the virus, according to a draft decision seen by dpa.

The federal government wants to keep in place a ban on large public events including festivals and sports until at least the end of August, according to the draft decision.

Berlin also supports re-opening all stores around the country, regardless of their size, amidst strict hygiene and social distancing protocols.

The federal government envisages all school pupils around the country returning to class in stages by the summer break, under strict instructions to keep children safe.

Students with special needs currently being home-schooled are to be offered learning programmes at school again eventually.

The government is set to approve the return of professional football games in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga football divisions in mid-May, preceded by a two-week-long quarantine measure, possibly a training camp.

The anticipated starting date for games played behind closed doors without spectators is 15 or 21 May, though the draft leaves the exact date open.

The ubiquitous 1.5-metre social-distancing rule that has marked German public life since mid-March is to remain in place.

According to the draft seen by dpa, the federal government wants to hand responsibility for additional easing of coronavirus-related restrictions to the regional governments of Germany’s 16 federal states.

But the draft notes that should new Covid-19 infections rise above 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period, anti-coronavirus measures must be tightened again.

Merkel had said on 20 April that a return to stricter measures would be “unavoidable” if infection rates became exponential. 

On Tuesday, Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, a government agency, told reporters in Berlin a second coronavirus wave will come “with great certainty,” noting that the majority of experts share this belief, and many also expect a third wave.

“This is a pandemic. And in a pandemic, this virus will cause disease until 60 to 70 per cent of the population is infected,” Wieler told reporters in Berlin.

Wieler was responding to a journalist’s question regarding the development of an app that would be used to track infections in Germany. He said that such a tool would be needed as the pandemic unfolds without commenting on when the app would be launched.

Germany’s total number of coronavirus cases ticked to above 164,000 on Tuesday, according to a dpa tally based on the latest regional data available. At least 6,808 people have died after catching the virus.

Wieler said that the number of new cases reported daily has dropped in recent days, falling in a spectrum of between 700 and 1,600.
“This is very good news,” he said.

However, the number of deaths reported each day remained high, at around 40 to 200.

Germany has made gains in its battle against the virus after introducing nationwide restrictions and closures in mid-March.

Since then, the country’s federal states have eased the measures at varying rates, with a growing number of children allowed to return to school, and shops, museums and hairdressers reopening for business.

The varied regional responses have caused some friction, as Merkel tries to coordinate the country’s anti-viral efforts.

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According to the draft decision-making paper dpa has seen ahead of Merkel’s telephone conference with state premiers, the following areas are to be left up to the regional governments to decide on when and how to ease restrictions: 

Education outside the school sector; restaurants, bars, clubs and hotels; cosmetic studios, massage parlours and tattoo studios; theatres, opera houses and concert halls; and all public and private indoor sports facilities including swimming pools and fun pools, gyms and similar facilities. (dpa)