Germany expected to extend partial shutdown into December

German officials are poised to extend a partial coronavirus shutdown into December after reimposing the measures due to a surge in coronavirus cases. 

The partial shutdown, announced Nov. 2, closed businesses such as bars, sports venues, restaurants and nightclubs but not schools, hair salons and retailers, unlike the spring shutdown.

The “wave-breaker” shutdown was originally set to last four weeks. However, the nation’s 16 state governors have drawn up proposals that would extend these measures through Dec. 20, according to The Associated Press.

While the surge in cases in Germany appears to have been arrested, the numbers have plateaued rather than declined, according to the AP. Public health officials reported 18,633 new cases in the past 24 hours, more than 1,000 more than the previous week, and deaths linked to the virus reached a single-day high of 410.

At a Wednesday video conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel, governors plan to call for stricter laws around interactions and mask-wearing and to propose the equivalent of around $20 billion in aid to closed businesses. Officials will likely propose looser restrictions for the Christmas season to allow limited family visits.

Germany was initially hailed as a success story among western nations for its handling of the first wave of the virus in spring. Since then, even amid a resurgence in Europe, the country has kept its mortality rate below that of many of its neighbors.

The country has recorded a total of 963,192 cases overall and 14,832 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The World Health Organization said this week that the spread of the virus appears to have slowed in Europe in general. Although the region comprises about 50 percent of all new global coronavirus deaths, new cases have fallen about 6 percent in the past week after falling 10 percent the week before.