COVID-19 in Germany: Merkel orders tough new curbs from Dec 16

UPDATE: Merkel ordered new restrictions in Germany starting from December 16th to January 10th. Here’s what the new Covid-19 rules are in Germany now:

Non-essential shops will close
Contact: 5 persons and 2 households
No alcohol in public
No exception for New Year’s Eve Exception for Xmas (24-26 Dec):
5 persons from up to 5 households
Schools will close: Day care centres will also close, but parents will be able to take paid holidays in order to look after their children.
Employers are encouraged to allow employees to work from home.
Religious events in churches, synagogues and mosques may take place if they follow hygiene rules, but communal singing is not allowed.
States still plan to ease stricter contact restrictions for December 24 to 26 so that close family members can spend Christmas together — a household may, during this time, invite up to four adults from other households but only from the immediate family, plus any number of children under 14.
People may not purchase fireworks for New Year’s Eve.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that most stores in Germany will shut from Wednesday, along with schools and day care centers.

The new restrictions will be in effect until at least January 10 to help tackle the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which threatens to overwhelm the country’s health system.

In a news conference that followed a meeting of federal and state leaders on Sunday, she said the country urgently needed to address the exponential rise in COVID-19 infections.

The decision is set to cause a major disruption for retailers, the education system and the public in the lead-up to the Christmas holidays.

COVID-19 in Germany: Merkel orders tough new curbs from Dec 16 – Jan 10