iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Spiritual coach and guide of the Heartfulness Movement, Kamlesh Patel on how listening to your heart and meditating on it can lead to a more fulfilling life
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Germany headed for second full lockdown over Christmas
Berlin - Stores and schools shut, social distancing rules further tightened to drive down coronavirus infections that have remained high
The German government called on citizens Monday to forgo Christmas shopping, two days before the country heads into a hard lockdown that will shut most stores, tighten social distancing rules and close schools across the country.
“I wish and I hope that people will only buy what they really need, like groceries,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said late Sunday. “The faster we get these infections under control, the better it is for everyone.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany’s 16 states agreed Sunday to step up the country’s lockdown measures beginning Wednesday and running to Jan. 10 to stop the exponential rise of Covid-19 cases. Merkel said existing restrictions imposed in November failed to significantly reduce the number of new infections. Germany has been recording steadily higher confirmed cases and deaths in recent weeks.
On Monday, the country’s central disease control center reported 16,362 new cases — that’s about 4,000 cases more than a week before. The Robert Koch Institute reported 188 new deaths bringing the overall death toll to 21,975. Last week, the daily death numbers rose to almost 600 cases, but after the weekend the numbers are usually lower because not all states reported new figures on the weekend.
Hospitals across the country had in recent weeks repeatedly warned that they were reaching their limits in caring for Covid-19 patients and that staffing on intensive care units was becoming a problem.
In some states, including Saxony in eastern Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia in the west, schools already are closed or mandatory school attendance lifted so parents can keep their children at home.
Starting Wednesday, schools nationwide will be closed or will switch to home schooling; most non-food stores will be shuttered, as will businesses such as hairdressers that have so far been allowed to remain open. Restaurant takeout will still be permitted, but no eating or drinking can take place on site.
With the exception of Christmas, the number of people allowed to meet indoors will remain restricted to five, not including children under 14.
The sale of fireworks traditionally used to celebrate New Year’s will also be banned, as will public outdoor gatherings on New Year’s Eve.
AP
More news from
Think on your feet and inspire the team
You can never go wrong with white marble in a bathroom
Basking in the glory of the acclaim her web series has received, the actress talks about what attracted her to the role
Wedding planners are increasingly using creative and interesting ways to incorporate tech into nuptials, making it a bespoke spectacle quite like none other
shashi-tharoors-world-of-words
Did you know these terms could be deemed offensive by equity-language guides?
Have over-sensitive experts established a new orthodoxy in language without anyone really noticing?
Weather prediction models indicate a probability of tropical conditions over the south of the Arabian Sea by the end of next week, says the authority
Northern Irishman insists that former European Tour players who have signed for LIV Golf should not be eligible for the tournament