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Measles kill toddler as Berlin school closes

UPDATE: Health authorities in Berlin announced a toddler has succumbed to measles. Earlier, a school in a Berlin suburb was closed because of a pupil infected with the disease. The capital is battling its most serious outbreak since 2001.

Measles kill toddler as Berlin school closes
Jabbed! Photo: DPA

The one and a half year old died on February 18 afer being admitted to hospital on February 18.

After a meeting of the city senate's health committee, Health senator Mario Czaja said that "the boy was vaccinated against everything – except against measles," Tagesspiegel reported.

Czaja added that he was in favour of making vaccinations compulsory.

It is the first death in Germany from a measles infection since 2013, when a teenaged boy died from complications due to the virus, which he picked up as a baby.

The Carl-Zeiss-Schule in the south-eastern city district has been closed for Monday to start, with a further cancellation of class possible.

Spokeswoman for the Berlin Senate Administration for Education Beate Stoffers told The Local that there has been one confirmed case amongst the students.

"There is one pupil who is very sick with measles, but the school now has to ensure that the contagious period is over," Stoffers said , adding that the closure was a preventative measure.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to man. The virus can be spread through coughing and sneezing and can live up to two hours on a surface or in an airspace where an infected person coughed or sneezed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Infected people are contagious as long as four days before the appearance of a rash and four days after according to the CDC.

The school is one of the biggest in Berlin with 1,000 pupils.

A play put on by refugees has also been postponed because of the school cancellation. The performance was originally scheduled for Monday evening.

There have been 447 cases of measles confirmed in the first seven weeks of 2015, as Berlin comes to grip with the biggest measles outbreak since 2001, reported the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) earlier this month.

The outbreak is being traced back to a community of refugees from Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzogovina, where routine vaccinations were not carried out during the Yugoslavian civil war.

Two further schools in Berlin were shut down over measles cases in late 2014 because of this outbreak: One in Kadow and the other in Kreuzberg.

Germany had signed on to the WHO's pledge to eliminate the disease by 2015, but the RKI say that doesn't look possible in light of the current outbreak. 

SEE ALSO: Most Germans want mandatory measles jabs

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BERLIN

EXPLAINED: Berlin’s latest Covid rules

In response to rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates, the Berlin Senate has introduced stricter rules, which came into force on Saturday, November 27th. Here's what you need to know.

A sign in front of a waxing studio in Berlin indicates the rule of the 2G system
A sign in front of a waxing studio indicates the rule of the 2G system with access only for fully vaccinated people and those who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19 as restrictions tighten in Berlin. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

The Senate agreed on the tougher restrictions on Tuesday, November 23rd with the goal of reducing contacts and mobility, according to State Secretary of Health Martin Matz (SPD).

He explained after the meeting that these measures should slow the increase in Covid-19 infection rates, which was important as “the situation had, unfortunately, deteriorated over the past weeks”, according to media reports.

READ ALSO: Tougher Covid measures needed to stop 100,000 more deaths, warns top German virologist

Essentially, the new rules exclude from much of public life anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19. You’ll find more details of how different sectors are affected below.

Shops
If you haven’t been vaccinated or recovered (2G – geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen (recovered)) from Covid-19, then you can only go into shops for essential supplies, i.e. food shopping in supermarkets or to drugstores and pharmacies.

Many – but not all – of the rules for shopping are the same as those passed in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg in order to avoid promoting ‘shopping tourism’ with different restrictions in different states.

Leisure
2G applies here, too, as well as the requirement to wear a mask with most places now no longer accepting a negative test for entry. Only minors are exempt from this requirement.

Sport, culture, clubs
Indoor sports halls will off-limits to anyone who hasn’t  been vaccinated or can’t show proof of recovery from Covid-19. 2G is also in force for cultural events, such as plays and concerts, where there’s also a requirement to wear a mask. 

In places where mask-wearing isn’t possible, such as dance clubs, then a negative test and social distancing are required (capacity is capped at 50 percent of the maximum).

Restaurants, bars, pubs (indoors)
You have to wear a mask in all of these places when you come in, leave or move around. You can only take your mask off while you’re sat down. 2G rules also apply here.

Hotels and other types of accommodation 
Restrictions are tougher here, too, with 2G now in force. This means that unvaccinated people can no longer get a room, even if they have a negative test.

Hairdressers
For close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, it’s up to the service providers themselves to decide whether they require customers to wear masks or a negative test.

Football matches and other large-scale events
Rules have changed here, too. From December 1st, capacity will be limited to 5,000 people plus 50 percent of the total potential stadium or arena capacity. And only those who’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed in. Masks are also compulsory.

For the Olympic Stadium, this means capacity will be capped at 42,000 spectators and 16,000 for the Alte Försterei stadium. 

Transport
3G rules – ie vaccinated, recovered or a negative test – still apply on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses in Berlin. It was not possible to tighten restrictions, Matz said, as the regulations were issued at national level.

According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people have to wear a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask  on public transport.

Christmas markets
The Senate currently has no plans to cancel the capital’s Christmas markets, some of which have been open since Monday. 

According to Matz, 2G rules apply and wearing a mask is compulsory.

Schools and day-care
Pupils will still have to take Covid tests three times a week and, in classes where there are at least two children who test positive in the rapid antigen tests, then tests should be carried out daily for a week.  

Unlike in Brandenburg, there are currently no plans to move away from face-to-face teaching. The child-friendly ‘lollipop’ Covid tests will be made compulsory in day-care centres and parents will be required to confirm that the tests have been carried out. Day-care staff have to document the results.

What about vaccination centres?
Berlin wants to expand these and set up new ones, according to Matz. A new vaccination centre should open in the Ring centre at the end of the week and 50 soldiers from the German army have been helping at the vaccination centre at the Exhibition Centre each day since last week.

The capacity in the new vaccination centre in the Lindencenter in Lichtenberg is expected to be doubled. There are also additional vaccination appointments so that people can get their jabs more quickly. Currently, all appointments are fully booked well into the new year.

 

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