Germany hits 1 million COVID cases as lockdown rules are extended
More than 1 million people across Germany have been infected with coronavirus, officials revealed on Friday.
The Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control center, said 22,806 cases were reported the previous day across the nation’s 16 states, bringing the total number of reported infections to 1,006,394. The grim milestone was announced the same day officials revealed Germany had recorded its second consecutive record daily death toll overnight.
Germany is now the 12th country to reach 1 million coronavirus cases. The U.S. surpasses every other country, with nearly 13 million cases.
Germany has seen far fewer deaths than many other European nations. Since the pandemic emerged earlier this year, 15,586 Germans have died from the virus while nearby nations like France, Britain, and Italy have recorded more than 50,000 deaths linked to the fast-spreading disease.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, earlier this week, extended the current coronavirus lockdown measures through mid-December, with some leeway planned for the upcoming holiday season. The nation is nearly a month into its so-called “wave-breaker” shutdown, instituted Nov. 2 amid an alarming spike in its daily COVID-19 figures.
Bars, restaurants, and museums will remain closed nationwide and a cap on private gatherings remained in effect. The restrictions are set to expire after Dec. 20, but Merkel warned that the latest numbers suggest the lockdown could extend into January.
During the Christmas holidays, however members of a single household will be allowed to meet up with 10 people from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1. Children under 14 are exempt.
With winter weather quickly approaching, German officials have also been working to come up with ways to salvage the region’s lucrative ski season. Merkel said officials are working to make a deal with other European Union countries to keep all ski slopes closed until early January, in an attempt to minimize the spread of the disease, BBC News reported.
”I will say this openly that it won’t be easy, but we will try,” Merkel said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte agreed that there needs to be a coordinated approach to reopening the slopes. The ski season in Germany and other European nations have postponed their start dates indefinitely due to current lockdowns.
With News Wire Services
