BERLIN (AP) – Germany reported a record number of deaths from the coronavirus when it went into a tougher lockdown on Wednesday, closing stores and schools to try to fight stubbornly high new daily infections.
The country recorded 179.8 virus deaths per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, a new record and significantly more than the 149 per 100,000 reported a week ago by the Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control center.
It also blew past the previous daily death toll, with 16 German states reporting 952 more people had died from the virus, the institute said. That was much higher than the previous daily record of 598 deaths on Friday, although there were two days of data from the hard-hit eastern state of Saxony, which did not report Tuesday. It brought the total death toll from a pandemic in the country to 23,427.
Faced with exponentially increasing cases in October, Germany introduced a “lockdown light” in early November, closing bars and restaurants but keeping shops open. The measures managed to flatten but not reduce new daily infections, leading to new tighter restrictions.
In addition to closing shops and moving children to distance learning for the few days before the Christmas holidays, private gatherings are limited to two households with a maximum of five people, among other things.
Supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, and other businesses that provide services that are considered essential – including Christmas tree vendors – can remain open.
In Saxony, where the virus is currently spreading fastest in Germany, hospitals are becoming full. The state governor said more drastic restrictions might be needed, calling it “pure poison” if too many people were still on the road.
The restrictions are expected until at least January 10, but are widely supported, with the latest polls showing that more than 80% of Germans either approve the lockdown measures or think they should be stricter.
“This year I don’t think Christmas is that important given the facts we currently have in society,” said Stella Kretschmer, who picked up a recipe in the western city of Cologne.
The 27-year-old student said she was in favor of closing stores.
“For me, consumption is not the most important thing,” she said, adding that she “feels sorry for the people who … have to fear for their jobs.”
Germany was widely praised for slowing the spread of its outbreak in the spring, but as people became lax with their distance and masking rules over the summer, the number of cases started to rise again.
While daily new cases peaked at about 6,000 in March, they are now more than four times higher, with 27,728 new cases reported by the Robert Koch Institute on Wednesday.
German officials have pushed hard for the European Union regulator to speed up the approval of a coronavirus vaccine, and the European Medicines Agency has scheduled a meeting on Monday. With vaccinations expected to begin before the end of the year, German officials have urged people to remain patient and respect the regulations during the holidays.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said Germany was ready and could begin vaccinations within two to four days of EMA approval.
“In the summer we can gradually return to normal,” he said on RTL television on Wednesday.
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