People walk past a sign reminding them to wear the mandatory face mask in central Munich on March 4, 2021. (Photo by Alexander Pohl / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Alexander Pohl NurPhoto via Getty Images
LONDON – The head of the German Public Health Service warned on Friday that a third wave of coronavirus infections has already begun.
It comes at a time when the country is gradually starting to ease lockdown restrictions amid a government-led effort to accelerate the roll-out of vaccinations to as many adults as possible.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously warned that the country could face a third wave of infections if restrictive public health measures were lifted too soon.
Italy will reportedly impose another near-national lockdown over Easter weekend in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
The move, expected to be signed into law on Friday, comes just over a year after it became the first country in the world to impose nationwide lockdown measures.
What is happening in Germany?
“We have clear signals: the third wave in Germany has already begun,” said Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, at a news conference Friday.
“The virus is not going to go away, but once we have a baseline level of immunity in the population, we can control it,” he added.
Wieler said he was “very concerned” about the public health crisis. He described Germany’s vaccination campaign as a race against a constantly evolving virus, but expressed confidence that the country would eventually be able to get the virus under control.
Until then, Wieler affirmed the importance of wearing face masks in public and keeping a safe distance from others.
Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the 215th session of the Bundestag. Topics include the epidemic situation of national scale and the effects of the lockdown on the economy.
Kay Nietfeld | photo alliance | Getty images
The RKI said on Thursday that the number of confirmed Covid cases has increased by 14,356 over a 24-hour period, the highest daily figure recorded in Germany in the past two weeks. It reflected an increase of 2,444 cases from the previous week.
The recent upswing coincides with the spread of a highly contagious variant of the virus first discovered in the UK. The variant, known as B.1.1.7, has been found to be responsible for more than 46% of new infections across the country.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 2.5 million people have contracted Covid in Germany to date, with 73,127 deaths.
Italy was preparing for a lockdown at Easter
The government of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi held talks with regional governments and local authorities from March 15 to April 6 to discuss stricter health measures, Italian news agency ANSA reported Friday, citing unnamed sources.
As part of these measures, Italy is expected to tackle the spread of the virus by placing almost the entire country in its so-called “red zone” from April 3 to April 5, a period that includes Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Barcroft Media | Barcroft Media | Getty images
The red zone is the maximum level of limitations in Italy’s stratified coronavirus system. At this level, schools, non-essential shops, restaurants and bars will all be closed.
A large Italian island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia is currently the only region in the country’s white zone. This decision, announced on March 1, means that many measures to combat the spread of the virus in this area have been dropped.
Nationally, the total number of Covid infections in Italy surpassed 3 million last week, largely driven by the rapid spread of the B.1.1.7 variant. To date, Italy has recorded 3.1 million cases of Covid and 101,184 deaths.