BERLIN (Reuters) – The third wave of coronavirus in Germany could be the worst so far and 100,000 new infections a day are not out of the question, the head of the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI) said on Friday.
The number of new infections confirmed in Germany has increased in recent weeks, caused by a more transmissible variant known as B117 and is moving to ease some blocking measures.
“There are clear signs that this wave will be worse than the first two waves,” RKI’s Lothar Wieler said, urging people to stay home for Easter. “We have some very difficult weeks ahead.”
Subsequently, RKI issued COVID-19 travel warnings for various neighboring countries, including France, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
People arriving from these countries must now offer a negative test under the age of 48 at the German border. It must then enter a 10-day quarantine, which can be shortened by a second negative test after 5 days.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said Germany was in the final stages of the “pandemic marathon”, but the country’s health system could reach its limit in April.
The number of new confirmed cases in Germany rose by 21,573 on Friday, while the death toll rose by 183.
Spahn said a requirement for all airline passengers entering Germany to provide a negative test will take effect Monday at midnight.
He called on local authorities to take a more flexible approach to vaccination, for example, by offering unused doses to anyone over the age of 70 on weekends and by reducing stocks faster.
Frustration has increased due to the slow release of the vaccine. About 10% of Germans received at least a first dose, but this is much lower than the United States, the United Kingdom or Israel.
Reporting by Caroline Copley; Edited by Maria Sheahan and Giles Elgood