German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers together decided on Tuesday to prolong the lockdown for most shops and schools until Feb 14 as part of steps taken to rein in the coronavirus. The existing lockdown runs until Jan. 31.
Merkel told reporters that this is the right time to take decisions to check the spread of the virus. She made the statement after a meeting with the premiers of Germany’s 16 federal states.
New infections have been waning in recent days and the demand for intensive care units has reduced slightly, but virologists are concerned about the possible spread of more infectious variants of the virus.
The number of registered coronavirus cases had risen by 11,369 to 2.05 million, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The death toll was up 989 at 47,622.
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