German authorities have decided to extend its current restrictions on public life by two weeks until April 19 in order to halt the outbreak of coronavirus.
Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has said, “We assessed the situation today and confirmed that the restrictions will be valid up to April 19,” adding “We will reassess the situation on the Tuesday after Easter.”
Earlier on March 22, German authorities shut downed the restaurants and banned gatherings of more than two people in order to contain the outbreak of coronavirus. The restrictions were initially due to end on April 5.
Certain individual states including Bavaria had already announced an extension, and others will now follow suit in the upcoming days.
Angela Merkel asserted that the lengthened period of curbs means families may not be able to visit each other during Easter celebrations in Germany. She said, “A pandemic doesn’t take a vacation.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Chancellor reiterated that it was much too early to think about loosening the restrictions, adding, “It would be much worse to do it too early, and we are still very far away from what we need to achieve.”
So far, coronavirus has claimed lives of almost 931 people in Germany and has affected more than 77,000 people. The deadly virus has claimed lives of more than 30,000 people in Europe alone in what the United Nations has described as humanity’s worst crisis since World War II.
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