German police attacked with firecrackers at coronavirus restrictions protest

People stand at a burning barricade during riots in the Connewitz district in Leipzig

Credit: Sebastian Willnow /dpa Zentralbild 

German police were attacked with firecrackers while trying to enforce lockdown measures at coronavirus sceptic protests in the city of Leipzig. 

The police were set upon while attempting to break up protests which attracted 20,000 people as participants failed to comply with social distancing rules or wear face masks.

Video footage shows police being pelted with bottles, fireworks and other projectiles as they attempted to set up a security cordon near the city’s main train station.

“There were numerous attacks against security forces,” the police wrote on Twitter, saying that 90 percent of protesters failed to wear face coverings which are mandated at demonstrations under Germany’s coronavirus measures.

The protests, the first to take place since Germany put in place stricter anti-coronavirus measures on Monday, November 2nd, also saw couunter demonstrators and journalists attacked, reported the German Press Agency.

The protests come as coronavirus case numbers continue to skyrocket, reaching more than 23,000 daily cases on Saturday for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Lockdown opponents gather in Leipzig to protest new restrictions

Credit: Omer Messinger /Getty Images Europe 

To curb the continued spread of the virus, Germany has begun rolling out rapid coronavirus tests in nursing homes and hospitals.

The government has secured 9 million rapid tests to be distributed throughout the states for their use in November, with the monthly quota to rise to 22 million in January, the Federal Ministry of Health told the German Press Agency.

The tests will be used for residents of nursing homes and patients in hospitals, as well as for employees and visitors, and will be covered by health insurers.  

The Health Department said that individual nursing home residents may be tested up to 20 times per month to prevent the spread of the virus among the most vulnerable.

The rapid antigen tests provide a result in between 15 and 30 minutes similar to a pregnancy test, but are considered not to be as accurate as the more common PCR tests. Positive rapid tests must be confirmed with a PCR test, the Health Ministry confirmed.  

Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday promised first access to any vaccine to health workers, while promising that any vaccine will be “voluntary”.