As Germany fights a third wave of infections, their government has implemented new restrictions in areas with high infection rates in a bid to stop the spread of a more infectious variant of the coronavirus.
According to CNBC, among the measures taken were a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, limits on the customers in stores, limits to private gatherings and sports, and the temporary shutdown of leisure centers.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged everyone to comply with the new rules.
“If we succeed now in reducing infections significantly and quickly, step-by-step relaxations will be possible in the foreseeable future,” she said in her weekly video podcast.
“What we’re hearing from doctors and the nursing staff, these are real cries for help,” she said. “We — the state, society, citizens — we all have to help.”
According to Reuters, Germany, “like many other European countries,” is struggling to combat a third wave of cases. The situation is aggravated by the more contagious B117 variant that first emerged in the U.K.
The country has restricted travel to India in the light of the outbreak there.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Germany stands at 3,268,635, per data from the Robert Koch Institute. Over 23,000 of those cases were logged over 24 hours and reported on Saturday (April 25). – jlo
