Germany has extended lockdown measures for another month and imposed several new restrictions, including the shutdown of public life largely during Easter, in an effort to reduce the rate of infection with the Coronavirus ( COVID-19).
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke early Tuesday, after a lengthy video meeting with the governors of the 16 states, announced that the restrictions, which were scheduled to last until March 28, will remain in effect until April 18.
"We have a fundamentally new pandemic," Merkel told reporters in Berlin, adding: "We basically have a new virus, it is clear that it is of the same type, but with completely different characteristics significantly more deadly, more contagious, and contagious for a longer period."
Officials agreed to close public life to a large extent, from April 1 to April 3, and to add a public holiday and close most stores during this period.
Public gatherings will be banned from April 1 to 5 to encourage people to stay home.
Coronavirus infections increased steadily in Germany, as the most contagious type that was first detected in Britain became dominant, and the number of daily cases in the country exceeded that of the United States.
Amid fears of a surge in the number of Germans traveling abroad on holidays, the authorities also agreed to a comprehensive requirement for air travelers, which is a coronavirus test before boarding a flight to Germany.
On the other hand, the German Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases announced last Tuesday that Coronavirus infections in the country are multiplying dramatically again, so Germany is on the threshold of the third wave of the outbreak.
Dirk Brockmann, an epidemiologist, and expert at the Robert Koch Institute said that Coronavirus infections in Germany are spreading again significantly, with a 20 percent increase in the week during the first half of March.
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