12:12 p.m. ET, November 15, 2020
German minister warns of "another 4-5 months of significant precautions and restrictions"
From CNN’s Eleanor Pickston
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier attends a press conference on October 30 in Berlin.
Filip Singer/Pool/Getty Images
Germans should prepare for another four to five months of significant precautions and restrictions, and shouldn’t speculate about when measures can be relaxed, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
“If we don't want days with 50,000 new infections, like for example a few weeks ago in France, we have to persevere and not constantly speculate about which measures can be relaxed again. All countries that lifted their restrictions too soon have paid a heavy price in terms of human life. We will have to live with significant precautions and restrictions for at least the next four to five months,” Altmaier told the German Sunday newspaper.
Altmaier praised “the discipline of the people” during the country’s second lockdown, but warned that the number of infections is still “too high” and that the country is “not out of the woods yet. Despite all efforts, a change for the better has not yet been achieved.”
By the numbers: The country reported 16,947 new coronavirus cases and 107 deaths on Sunday according to the Robert Koch Institute. Weekend figures tend to be lower however as not all data is reported by local authorities. The total number of cases in the country was 790,503 on Sunday.
Germany is currently two weeks into a nationwide partial lockdown which requires restaurant and bars to remain closed, people to avoid travel, "keep their contacts to an absolute minimum” and limit public meetings to members of two different households. Schools and shops have remained open.
“The wave of infections must be broken permanently. We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy opening and closing all the time,” Altmaier responded when asked about an extension to the current partial lockdown.