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SCHOOLS

Germany state of Saxony to close schools and shops as Covid-19 situation worsens

The eastern German state of Saxony will impose drastic measures shuttering schools, kindergartens and most shops to curb transmission, after it became the worst-hit coronavirus hotspot in the country.

Published: 8 December 2020 14:23 CET
Updated: 8 December 2020 15:40 CET
Germany state of Saxony to close schools and shops as Covid-19 situation worsens
People walking in Leizpig on Monday. Photo: DPA

Schools, childcare centres (Kitas) and non-essential shops will close in the state from Monday December 14th until at least January 10th.

It's the latest German state to enforce stricter rules as virus numbers continue to rise. There are increasing calls for Germany to enforce a nationwide lockdown in response to the worsening situation.

READ ALSO: Scientists plead for 'hard lockdown' in Germany as fears grow over Covid-19 spike at Christmas

In the last few days Saxony has become the largest hotspot in Germany.

Over the weekend the number of infections rose by 5,810 to 71,320. There have been 1,298 deaths connected to Covid-19 reported in the state so far.

Supermarkets and shops selling essential supplies such as pharmacies will not be affected by the closures. There are already tighter contact restrictions which mean people should only leave their homes for essential reasons.

Visits to elderly care homes will be tightly controlled, with negative tests and masks required.

“We have one of the toughest rules when it comes to initial restrictions, but it is not enough,” Kretschmer said on Tuesday while explaining why tougher measures were needed.

The situation in hospitals was not only tense but also extremely dangerous, he said. Around 20 to 30 percent of ICU beds were occupied by coronavirus patients, and patients from Upper Lusatia have to be transferred to Dresden or Leipzig.

“In some regions there are no intensive care beds any more,” Kretschmer said. The planned restrictions are the only way to stop the rise of infections.

Although the situation is worse than in spring, people are not taking the situation as seriously as they did then, Kretschmer said. 

READ ALSO: Merkel says Germany 'won't get through winter' with current Covid-19 measures

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the districts of Bautzen (500.7) and the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains (508) again exceeded the mark of 500 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. Nationwide, only the district of Regen in Lower Bavaria had a higher incidence value of 578.7 on Tuesday.

For the whole of Saxony, the RKI reported a seven-day incidence of 319 on Tuesday, compared to 147 nationwide. Any city or district with more than 50 infections per 100,000 residents in seven days is considered a hotspot in Germany. 

Meanwhile, 2,492 people are currently in hospital in Saxony with a Covid-19 diagnosis, 458 of them in intensive care.

What are other states doing?

Bavaria announced a lockdown from Wednesday, urging people to only leave their homes for essential reasons.

Schools will be asked to switch some lessons online for older age groups, while those in hotspots will need to move all teaching online for older students.

Meanwhile, the state of Thuringia does not plan to relax contact restrictions at Christmas.

The minority government has agreed to keep the restrictions as they are: a maximum of five people from two households (children not included).

The government and states decided to ease the rules for Germany over Christmas and New Year, allowing up to 10 people from any number of households to meet.

The move is not set in stone yet, though: the state parliament and local authorities are to be involved in the final decision.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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