Germany Opens the Door to Further Deconfinement

 Steph Deschamps / February 5, 2021

The German Minister of Health on Thursday called for a start to be made on easing restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic before the end of winter.

We can't stay in this hard confinement all winter, our company wouldn't stand it well, Jens Spahn told the regional press group Funke, as the impatience of the public is growing. In addition, the figures are encouraging, we see a significant downward trend in new infections, the minister added. The so-called incidence rate, i.e. the average number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, fell below 100 to 87 on Thursday and is approaching 50, the threshold desired by the authorities, below which a relaxation of the partial containment in place in Germany is conceivable. However, the Minister of Health did not want to commit to a start of deconfinement as early as February, whereas the restrictions have been programmed for the moment to last until the 14th of the current month. It is not possible to say for sure what the situation will be like on February 14, Spahn warned. Currently, Germans are asked to avoid contact as much as possible, with widespread teleworking, closure of schools, kindergartens, non-food stores, restaurants, bars, cultural and sports venues, as well as a strict limitation of meetings. Several virologists have warned against premature release from containment, particularly because of the risk posed by variants of the virus responsible for Covid-19 disease. 

L'Allemagne entrouvre la porte à un prochain déconfinement