German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a gradual reopening of shuttered stores and hotels next month, as long as the coronavirus infection rate continues to fall and reaches manageable levels. For Germany as a whole, the rate has been declining steadily since a peak of close to 200 before Christmas. The chancellery briefing document says that due to the growing spread of Covid-19 variants, “contact restrictions must remain in place in the next few weeks." A version of the proposals published by Handelsblatt newspaper includes extending curbs until March 14, though that could still change. That compares with 13.5 in the U.S. and nearly 20 in Britain, although both nations started their vaccination campaigns several weeks earlier.

Source: Mint February 10, 2021 09:31 UTC