Germany to extend social distancing until after Easter

Germany says it will extend social distancing measures introduced in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus until after April.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said this on Wednesday, explained that the extension would enable the government to re-evaluate the situation after Easter.

Germany has closed schools, shops, restaurants, playgrounds, and sports facilities, just as many companies have stopped production to help slow the spread of the disease but the numbers are still rising.

“We are seeing some small effect (from the measures) but we are far from where we need to be,” Merkel told reporters after a telephone conference with the premiers of Germany’s 16 federal states.

Merkel thanked Germans for mostly complying with rules and said she wanted to avoid re-opening everything too early only to have to row back.

She also implored people not to travel over the Easter period.

“We know that a pandemic does not take account of the holidays,” she said.

With Germany’s council of economic advisers warning the virus could trigger a 5.4 per cent contraction in Europe’s biggest economy this year.

The government has also announced a stimulus package worth more than 750 billion euros to mitigate the blow.

Latest figures from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases on Wednesday showed that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen to 67,366 with 732 deaths.

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