Coronavirus live news: Germany extends partial lockdown as world suffers record daily deaths

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed hope that the arrival of the primary vaccines in coming weeks would assist flip the nook on the pandemic.

“A lot indicates that 2021 will bring us relief,” she stated.

The nation’s illness management company launched a brand new model of its contact tracing app Wednesday that features reminders for individuals to share constructive check outcomes with individuals they have been in shut proximity to.

The app had been downloaded 22.8 million occasions by Friday. Its decentralized, privacy-focused design has been copied by a number of different European international locations.

More on Germany now, with the AP:

During a seven-hour video name, federal and state officers additionally agreed on various new restrictions.

These embody:

—Limiting non-public gatherings to 5 individuals from as much as two households, not counting youngsters beneath 14. Over the festive interval that quantity can be elevated to 10, to permit for small household gatherings.

—Traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks can be discouraged, and banned totally in some in style streets and squares.

—Employers can be inspired to let workers earn a living from home 23 December to 1 January.

—Masks can be required in entrance of shops, in parking heaps and in most secondary faculties.

—The variety of prospects allowed into bigger shops can be lowered.

The authorities additionally plans round 17 billion euros ($20 billion) extra in help to compensate companies hit by the shutdown, on high of 15 billion euros supplied by federal authorities in November.

Germany, which has 83 million individuals, was credited with a comparatively good efficiency within the first section of the pandemic. It nonetheless has a decrease loss of life fee than a number of different European international locations, and its present shutdown has been comparatively delicate.

Germany has reported a complete of 961,320 virus instances for the reason that pandemic started, together with 14,771 deaths.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the nation’s 16 state governors on Wednesday agreed to increase a partial shutdown properly into December in an effort to additional scale back the speed of Covid-19 infections forward of the Christmas interval.

Germany launched into a so-called “wave-breaker” shutdown on 2 November, closing eating places, bars, sports activities and leisure amenities however leaving faculties, outlets and hair salons open. It was initially slated to final 4 weeks.

Merkel stated the measures will now be prolonged till a minimum of 20 December, with a purpose of pushing the variety of new coronavirus instances in every area under 50 per 100,000 inhabitants per week.

“We have to continue to pursue this goal,” she informed reporters in Berlin.

Merkel stated that whereas current measures have succeeded in halting a surge in new coronavirus infections, they’ve stabilised at a excessive stage.

Germany’s illness management company, the Robert Koch Institute, reported 18,633 new instances over the previous 24 hours — in contrast with 17,561 per week earlier.

“We can’t be satisfied with this partial success,” she stated, noting that well being officers on Wednesday additionally reported 410 deaths linked to Covid-19, the very best single-day complete but.

“(This) reminds us in the saddest way that behind the statistics are human fates,” Merkel stated.

Hello and welcome to at present’s live protection of the coronavirus pandemic.

My identify is Helen Sullivan, and this time final 12 months I used to be in Beirut getting ready to have my first ever thanksgiving. Where have been you – and do you rejoice the turkey vacation?

Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

As the world reported its highest daily loss of life toll of the pandemic up to now, with 12,785 Covid deaths reported in 24 hours, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the nation’s 16 state governors on Wednesday agreed to increase a partial shutdown properly into December in an effort to additional scale back the speed of Covid-19 infections forward of the Christmas interval.

Germany launched into a so-called “wave-breaker” shutdown on 2 November, closing eating places, bars, sports activities and leisure amenities however leaving faculties, outlets and hair salons open. It was initially slated to final 4 weeks.

Merkel stated the measures will now be prolonged till a minimum of 20 December, with a purpose of pushing the variety of new coronavirus instances in every area under 50 per 100,000 inhabitants per week.

“We have to continue to pursue this goal,” she informed reporters in Berlin.

• Global instances surpassed 60m, in accordance with researchers at each Johns Hopkins University. According to Reuters, the tempo of recent infections is accelerating and the United States is reporting its worst numbers of hospitalisations.
• Authorities in Sicily requested Cuba’s authorities to ship to the area about 60 well being operators, together with medical doctors and nurses, as hospitals are battling a scarcity of medical personnel in the course of the second wave. The request was filed this week to the Italian embassy in Cuba and consists of intensive care specialists, nurses, anaesthetists, resuscitators, virologists and pneumologists, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported.
• The Americas reported greater than 1.5m instances within the final seven days; the very best weekly quantity for the reason that begin of the pandemic, the World Health Organization regional department PAHO stated. The fast surge of infections within the US continued and instances accelerated in international locations of North, Central and South America, PAHO stated. In Canada, infections have been rising significantly among the many aged and indigenous communities.
• The daily loss of life toll within the US reached 2,157 – one individual each 40 seconds. It was the primary time since May that deaths had handed 2,000 in 24 hours.
• Germany reported 410 deaths in 24 hours; its worst such toll for the reason that pandemic started. It got here as the chancellor Angela Merkel met with 16 federal state leaders to debate restrictions for the Christmas and new 12 months holidays.
• Iran recorded its worst daily caseload, with the well being ministry reporting 13,843 new infections. That pushed the nationwide tally to 894,385 within the Middle East’s worst-hit nation. The ministry’s spokeswoman, Sima Sadat Lari, informed state TV the loss of life toll rose by 469 in 24 hours to 46,207.