German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on the 24th that pandemic in Germany is in a “very severe” stage, and the rate of spread has exceeded that of the beginning of this year.
Merkel said in a weekly video speech: “We are in a very severe stage of coronavirus. New cases are rising every day. The pandemic is spreading rapidly again, even faster than the initial stage six months ago.”
According to data released by the Robert Koch Institute, a German disease control agency, on the 24th, a total of 418,005 confirmed cases of new pandemic nationwide, 14,714 new cases in a single day, the highest since the outbreak; 49 new deaths, a cumulative death breakthrough 10,000 cases reached 1,0003 cases.
The data shows that the current basic infection rate of pandemic in Germany is 1.3, which means that each infected person can infect 1.3 people on average. Lothar Willer, director of the Robert Koch Institute, said the German pandemic was “extremely severe.”
Merkel once again urged the public not to go out and keep a safe distance after speaking last week. “Unless absolutely necessary, please don’t travel, don’t engage in celebrations. Please stay at home,” she said.
“In the face of the virus, we are not powerless,” Merkel said. “Our behavior determines the strength and speed of its spread. The rule that all of us should follow is to reduce contact. Try to minimize contact with others.”
The capital, Berlin, is one of the most severely affected areas. The city’s new pandemic prevention regulations came into effect on the 24th, including masks must be worn in the market; masks must be worn in the shopping malls of the 10 most crowded streets and when queuing. The police deployed about 1,000 police officers this weekend to supervise the implementation of the above measures.
16 German states are currently formulating their own pandemic prevention measures. Deutsche News Agency reported that the lack of unified pandemic prevention measures may lead to chaos, and more and more people are calling for the re-introduction of national prevention and control measures like the beginning of the pandemic.
