Germany is in a state of emergency: Official on surging Covid-19 infections

A sign informs people to cover their mouth and nose with an FFP2 mask in front of a Covid-19 pandemic test centre in Unterschleissheim near Munich.

The head of Germany's disease control agency said Friday that the country has entered into a ‘nationwide state of emergency,' because of surging coronavirus infections. Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, said regular medical care cannot be guaranteed anymore in some parts of the country because hospitals and intensive care wards are overstretched.

He called for urgent additional measures to tackle the rise in Covid-19 cases, which topped 50,000 for the third day running. "All of Germany is one big outbreak," Wieler told reporters in Berlin. "This is a nationwide state of emergency. We need to pull the emergency brake."

A 2G rule note (vaccinated or recovered) outside a cafe in Erfurt, eastern Germany on Thursday. Pics/AFP

His comments came as the upper house of parliament on Friday approved new measures to control the outbreak proposed by the center-left alliance that emerged after the September 26 national election. The measures include requirements for people to prove they are vaccinated, recently recovered from Covid-19 or have tested negative for the virus in order to access communal workplaces or public transport.

Separately, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with the governors of Germany's 16 states to introduce a new threshold linked to the number of hospital admissions of Covid-19 patients per 1,00,000 people over a seven-day period. Some states are also considering mandatory vaccinations for some professional groups such as medical staff and nursing home employees.

Austria to enter lockdown

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Friday that the country will go into a national lockdown to contain a fourth wave of coronavirus cases. Schallenberg said the lockdown will start Monday and initially last for 10 days. Most stores will close, and cultural events will be cancelled.

A doctor vaccinates an elderly woman in a vaccination bus in the small village of Unterschleissheim near Munich on Friday. Pic/AFP

Wolfgang Mueckstein, the country's health minister, later said that kindergartens and schools would remain open for those who needed to go there but all parents were asked to keep their children at home if possible. Starting on February 1, the country will also make vaccinations mandatory, public broadcaster ORF reported.

5,55,946
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

25,48,47,065
Total no. of cases worldwide

51,20,712
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

50k
No. of new Covid-19 cases in the country for third day running

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