Almost all stores will be closed during Easter from April 1 to 5 and no more than five people over the age of 14 can gather from two households. Grocery stores could only be open one day, Saturday, April 3rd.
General measures to block the country will also be extended until April 18, Merkel said. The Germans have been living under different levels of restrictions since mid-December.
The country’s public health authority reported 7,485 new infections and 250 deaths on Tuesday over a 24-hour period. The daily number of infections is 2,000 cases higher than a week ago. More than 108 people in 100,000 are now infected each week.
“We know that the current emergency measures will not be enough to stop the exponential growth,” Merkel said after lengthy talks Monday night in Berlin.
“Therefore, April 1, Maundy Thursday and April 3 will be declared days of rest this year, with extended contact restrictions and a ban on meetings from the first to April 5. This means extended Easter closures. For five days in a row, the principle is: we will stay at home, “Merkel said.
Germany has seen more than 74,000 deaths through Covid-19 since the pandemic began, and Merkel said the country is facing a third wave of infections.
Its vaccination program, like many in the European Union, has been hampered by a shortage of supplies. The UK and the EU have been involved in a new spit over doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, the head of the bloc, Ursula von der Leyen, threatening to block the export to the UK of a batch of fire from a factory in the Netherlands.