xWith Germany buckling under a third wave, the amended law, including school closures and night-time curfews, aims to end a political tug-of-war between the federal government and the 16 regional states over virus restrictions. It would also force schools to revert to virtual teaching in states where the incidence rate exceeds 165 — a tighter requirement than the 200 contained in an earlier draft of the law. Only one state had an incidence rate below 100 on Wednesday, while seven topped 165 — including the two most populous of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. Who are we if we ignore these emergency calls?”xSome German states, including Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Baden-Wuerttemberg, have already sharpened their rules in anticipation of the new law. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agency reported 24,884 new cases in the past 24 hours on Wednesday and 331 deaths, with a national incidence rate of 160.

Source: The Guardian April 21, 2021 10:52 UTC