BERLIN (GERMANY) – Warnings were given in Germany that the onus now was on the citizens to do their part to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Daily new infections reached a record on Thursday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD, “There can be no question anymore now that this is the start of a very big second wave.”
“At the start of this second wave it is up to us to stop the infections. The longer we wait and the less decisive we are, the more it will impact not only our health but also our economy,” he added.
By European standards, Germany has witnessed relatively low infection and death rates so far during the pandemic.
They have now reached a record of 6,638, bringing the total to 341,223, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday.
The previous record daily increase was 6,294 on March 28, according to RKI data.
Germany’s states agreed late on Wednesday to extend measures against the spread of the coronavirus to larger parts of the country as new cases increased.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said how people behaved in the coming days would determine whether they will be able to spend Christmas with their families this year.
“It’s important to understand that we are not powerless against this virus. We can do something, we all can make a difference every day,” he told.
“We can be the spoilsport for the virus if we are careful with one another and keep the number of new infections to a level we can handle.”
The reported death toll on Thursday rose by 33 to 9,710.