Germany extends lockdown amidst rising Covid-19 numbers

Berlin, March 5 : Despite the ongoing lockdown, new Covid-19 infections in Germany were again slightly above previous week’s level as the country registered 11,912 infections within one day, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced.
Due to rising infections and an increasing share of Covid-19 variants, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the federal states agreed on Wednesday that the lockdown would be extended until at least March 28. At the same time, gradual openings were implemented in a five-step strategy, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
After schools and hairdressers were opened in the beginning of March, a second step would follow next week as bookstores, flower stores and garden centers in Germany would be allowed to open with hygiene requirement and customer restrictions, the government noted.
Merkel said that it was now a matter of “taking the next steps wisely.” In Europe, there were many examples of a dramatic third Covid-19 wave “and this danger also exists for us,” said Merkel when announcing the new regulations during a press conference on Wednesday.
Regulations for private meetings were also relaxed and one household would now be allowed to meet with another household, limited to a maximum of five people, according to the government.
The 7-day incidence plays an important role in the country’s 5-step opening strategy. If the 7-day incidence in a state or region exceeded 100, contact restriction would be tightened again, according to the German government.