Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Tuesday that Germany will go into a fierce five-day Easter lockdown after the sharp surpass in the number of COVID-19 infections.
All shops will be shut off starting from April 1 to 5, all gatherings for more than five persons will be banned, grocery stores will be allowed to be open for only one day in the middle of the lockdown which is April 3.
"We know that the current emergency measures will not be sufficient to stop the exponential growth," Merkel asserted.
She added: "That's why the 1st of April, Maundy Thursday, and the 3rd of April will be declared rest days this year with expanded contact restrictions and a ban on gatherings from the first to the fifth of April. That means expanded closures over Easter. For five days in a row the principle is: we will stay at home."
Germany has reported 7,485 new cases and 20 new deaths on Tuesday with at least 2000 cases rise in a week. The tragic rise of the COVID-19 number forced German authorities to depict the beginning of a third wave of the pandemic.
The measures will be extended to April 18 to control the spread of the virus.