Coronavirus: Germany told 4-5 more months of Covid-19 ‘lockdown light’ restrictions required

The set of measures imposed in an attempt to rein in a second wave of the pandemic see restaurants closed, but schools and shops remain open

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier’s remarks on the length of the restrictions echoed those of other leading German policymakers

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Police officers stand guard during an anti-lockdown rally in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Reutersin Frankfurt

Published: 6:55pm, 15 Nov 2020Updated: 6:55pm, 15 Nov 2020

Germans should brace for another four to five months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag.

“We’re not out of the woods yet”, he said referring to infection numbers. “We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy constantly opening and closing.”

All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost

Peter Altmaier, Germany’s economy minister

Germany has imposed a set of measures dubbed a “lockdown light” to rein in the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. While restaurants are closed, schools and shops so far remain open.

Data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 16,947 to 790,503. Weekend figures tend to be lower as not all data is reported by local authorities.

Doctors examine a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Aachen, western Germany, earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Altmaier said Germany should be wary of relaxing restrictions too quickly.

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