Angela Merkel, September 29, 2020 at the European Parliament.

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Michael Sohn / AP / SIPA

Germany is taking action against an upsurge in the coronavirus pandemic.

Angela Merkel announced on Tuesday the limitation of the number of participants in parties in public and private space.

Alongside tourists returning from vacation, "private parties are an important cause" of outbreak of new infections in Germany, "which is why we must react", declared Chancellor Angela Merkel after a meeting with the heads of government of the 16 German regional states.

The Länder where 35 new cases of infection are registered per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days will have to impose a limit of 50 participants for a party in a public space or a rental room.

A "difficult" period looms

For private meetings, it will be "urgently advised" not to exceed 25 people, she detailed at a press conference.

If the ceiling reaches 50 per 100,000 inhabitants, then the number of participants should drop to 25 in public spaces, and if possible to 10 at home.

The upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Germany is "naturally a source of concern", said Angela Merkel.

And "we know that a difficult period awaits us (...) with autumn and winter", she added, advising the Germans, like the Minister of Health Jens Spahn before her, to avoid go on vacation abroad for the All Saints holidays.

"Donald Duck" at the restaurant

In restaurants, cafes and bars where each customer must leave their contact details, fines of a minimum of 50 euros will also be imposed if people deliver false information, the government and the heads of the 16 regions of the country have also decided. .

“Institutions need to make sure people are giving real information… If names like Donald Duck are provided, it is not difficult to spot them,” the Chancellor said.

Each Länder can decide on the exact amount of the fine.

The Chancellor once again called on the Germans to be responsible, and promised that everything would be done so that the economy could continue to function and the children to go to school.

She recalled the importance of wearing a mask covering the nose and mouth in public spaces and of respecting a distance of 1.50 m.

Limited opening hours which may vary from one region to another will also be maintained.

In a country that has so far resisted the pandemic rather better than its neighbors, the number of new daily cases has started to rise again since the end of July.

The daily number of new infections exceeded the 2,000 mark on Tuesday, according to the Robert Koch health watch institute, while 9,471 people have died from the virus since its appearance.

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  • Coronavirus

  • Covid 19

  • Angela Merkel

  • World

  • Germany