BERLIN (GERMANY) – For the first time since April, Germany has recorded more than 5,000 daily new COVID cases, lending more urgency to the crisis discussions between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the premiers of 16 states on Wednesday.
The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said the number of confirmed cases increased by 5,132 to 334,585 on Tuesday and the fatalities increased by 43.
Most of the states have agreed that in order to stem the spread of the virus, residents of coronavirus risk areas should not be allowed to reside in hotels in other parts of the country. With autumn school holidays starting in many states, there is mounting opposition in recent days.
Armin Laschet, who heads North-Rhine Westphalia, said he hoped the leaders agree on a “pragmatic solution” as it was essential to fight the virus.
He said the regional solutions to stem the spread have been Germany’s strength so far, adding that as the number of areas exceeding the critical case load of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over seven consecutive days is growing, new unified rules are essential.
“The more clarity there is in the important things, the more one can differentiate locally when there are different occurrences,” Laschet said.
Bavarian premier Markus Soeder urged the federal government to have nationwide rules, warning that the next four weeks would be crucial for whether Germans could celebrate a relaxed Christmas.