The number of new infections is rising steadily in Germany – and at the same time the reminders and warnings from the experts are getting louder and more urgent. Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), warned at the weekend of a possible fifth wave if there is no quick response.
“If the reduction of the contacts and the vaccination do not succeed intensively, we will also get a fifth wave according to the current modeling,” he said on Saturday. “The further course of winter depends heavily on what happens now,” said Wieler. “We must now ensure that people’s contacts are restricted across the board in Germany.” In his opinion, vaccination and 2G are no longer enough.
“It’s already too late”
“In the federal states where the numbers are still low, we have the chance to keep the numbers low with contact restrictions. Where the numbers are high, it is actually very late, if not too late,” he said RKI President.
Federal states that were severely affected by the fourth wave have already reacted: In Saxony, large parts of public life will be restricted for three weeks from today. Cultural and leisure facilities, bars, clubs and discos will be closed. Christmas markets and tourist overnight stays are no longer allowed, and restaurants have limited opening times.
In Bavaria, strict contact restrictions are to apply to unvaccinated people from Wednesday. Clubs, discos and bars will have to close for the next three weeks, and there will be no Christmas markets. The number of spectators is significantly limited for cultural and sporting events. Large parts of public life are also shut down in extreme hotspots.
In Baden-Württemberg, nightly exit restrictions for unvaccinated people will apply from today in severely affected districts. Leaving your own four walls in the hotspots Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis, Ostalbkreis and Biberach between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. is only allowed for medical emergencies and for work reasons, said the Ministry of Social Affairs.
High number of unreported cases suspected
The Germany-wide seven-day incidence rose again to a high, according to the RKI it was 372.7 yesterday. The health authorities reported 42,727 new infections to the RKI within 24 hours. Since there are significantly fewer tests in Germany than in Austria, for example, the Robert Koch Institute assumes that there are two to three times as many new infections.
Source From: Nachrichten
