Merkel, Mayors Agree Germany Needs Tougher COVID Restrictions In Light Of Rising Tally

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2020) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and governing mayors of major German cities agreed on Friday that the country needs to impose stricter COVID-19 restrictions to limit the pandemic's impact.

Merkel discussed the epidemiological situation in Germany with the mayors of Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Essen, Dortmund, Leipzig and Dusseldorf.

"Everyone agreed that we need additional measures with the dynamics of 35 [new COVID-19 cases a day] per 100,000 [people], but, more importantly, with the dynamics of 50 per 100,000 people for seven days in a row," Merkel said during a press conference after the meeting.

Earlier in the week, local authorities in several German cities, including Berlin, Bremen and Frankfurt, confirmed that the infection rate had surpassed 50 new cases a day per 100,000 people in their cities.

Merkel specified that tougher measures will include a rule on wearing face masks in public spaces, which is already in place in Munich. The chancellor added that the authorities agreed that curfews, a ban on sales of alcohol in the hospitality sector and restrictions on mass gatherings may limit the spread of COVID-19.

The chancellor and mayors will meet again to discuss the progress in two weeks. According to Merkel, the upcoming days and weeks will show what coronavirus situation will be like in the winter.

On Thursday, Germany recorded over 4,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time since April. At the moment, the country's overall case count is over 320,000 and the related death toll is approaching 9,600.