Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Associated Press reports:
Several German states moved closer to a “hard lockdown” Tuesday as officials warned that continued high coronavirus infections could overwhelm hospitals and that too many people were ignoring existing pandemic restrictions.
The governor of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer [photo], announced that schools and most stores will close from Monday until Jan. 10, as the eastern state recorded the Germany’s worst infection rates.
Figures published by Germany’s disease control agency showed the number of newly confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants reaching almost 320 in a week in Saxony — more than twice the national average of about 147.
The Washington Post reports:
Germany reported nearly 600 coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, a new one-day record that points to signs of a troubling surge in the pandemic for the Central European nation.
Some fear the sharp increase could be a sign of what is to come in Germany, which at one point drew praise for its pandemic response earlier this year but now appears headed towards a dark, dire winter.
Restrictions were set to loosen over the week of Christmas, but some German states have now instead moved closer to a strict lockdown, with health officials warning that too many new cases could push hospitals to the brink.
Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind calls for a fuller lockdown in Germany that would include closing shops after Christmas, telling legislators that vaccines alone would not majorly alter the pandemic’s course in the first quarter. https://t.co/MQmNKFZrFd
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) December 9, 2020