“We are still very far from incidence 50,” Merkel told a news conference. The value of 50 newly infected per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days was identified by the Chancellor before the start of the November quarantine as a goal that Germany wants to achieve. “We are one. We must continue to pursue this goal,” she said. There are currently 139 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany in seven days.
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According to the Chancellor, exponential growth has stopped, but that is not enough to manage the pandemic. “We need to step up once again,” she said.
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“The situation is very, very serious,” said Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, who has long called for the strictest possible preventive measures. “The result is not as good as we had hoped,” said the November quarantine.
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According to Merkel, the gravity of the situation calls for stricter existing rules. Newly, private meetings of families and acquaintances will be limited to a maximum of five people from a maximum of two households, children under 14 will not be included in this limit. Currently, the limit is set at ten people from a maximum of two households.
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Over the Christmas holidays from December 23 to the New Year, however, the regime for family reunions will ease, so up to ten people from more households will be able to meet, the chancellor said. However, Söder urged the people of Germany to postpone family reunions if possible and to avoid traveling.
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Schools and kindergartens remain open, and the government considers maintaining their full-time presence to be key to the economy. Newly, in the case of an infection in the classroom, classmates and teachers from the group will be sent to a five-day quarantine, which can be completed by a so-called rapid test. Until now, 14-day quarantine was common.
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Special measures according to the possibilities of schools, such as shift learning or hybrid teaching using the Internet, will be in those regions where the number of new cases is over 200 per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.
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Newly, there will also be compulsory drapes for teaching from the 7th grade, if the limit of 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants is significantly exceeded in the area within seven days. In a number of Länder, however, veils for teaching older children are already compulsory, and Bavaria has them in primary schools, for example.
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The Christmas holidays throughout Germany will start on Saturday 19 December. Several federal states moved to this date before Wednesday’s meeting. Since this measure, the government has promised to limit the contact with the Länder for several days before the subsequent family reunion.
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On New Year’s Eve, Söder asked the Germans not to abuse the relaxation of the regime on holidays for riotous parties. He reiterated that Christmas, especially this year, should be a family holiday.
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A ban on the sale of cannons, which was speculated about before today’s meeting, but is not expected by the Germans.
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Söder also criticized Austria’s approach to the ski season. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz rejects Italy’s call for a ban on skiing in the resorts at least until January due to a pandemic. “I can’t imagine it,” said the Bavarian prime minister, saying that people would meet on the lifts and cable cars they had to wait in line.
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