Covid means empty spectator stands at ski competitions in Germany
Schools in Germany may remain closed further into January, with the country almost certain to extend its coronavirus lockdown as infection rates, hospitalisations and fatality numbers remain high across the country.
The German government is set to meet with state representatives and health authorities on January 5 to consider if and how the country’s lockdown – which has been in place since December 14 and is set to expire on January 10 — should be extended, including whether or not to re-open schools across the country.
While it was expected that bars, restaurants, leisure facilities and other non-essential businesses would remain closed, schools had been tipped to open again. But an exceptionally high daily death rate, topping 1,000 for the first time on Wednesday has fuelled the schools debate.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said on New Year’s Eve that “in case of doubt, I would favour (extending the measures) a week too long now rather than a week too short.”
On Saturday Karl Lauterbach, a leading health expert and member of German parliament, joined calls for a delay to the start of term, saying schools and kindergartens should again be allowed to open from mid-January, with high schools to continue via distance education.
View of an empty shopping mall in Berlin on December 17
“The prerequisite would be that all other grade levels would be divided and alternately receive classroom and digital lessons. Or face-to-face teaching is completely suspended,” Lauterbach said.
Deciding whether or not schools should be open in Germany is a state government responsibility, however school closures have taken place largely in a coordinated fashion throughout the pandemic. Most schools were ordered to close three days early as Germany introduced its Christmas lockdown in December.
School closure policies remain mixed elsewhere in Europe. In Sweden and Switzerland schools have remained open.
In Italy, schools will open again on January 7, although class capacities will be capped at 50 percent.
In France, while primary schools have remained open throughout most of winter, secondary schools and universities are closed until January 20 at the earliest.
Schools and day care centres are closed in Austria and the Netherlands until January 19.
Coronavirus Germany Spotlight Chart — deaths default
Scientists, health advocates and economic experts have overwhelmingly supported a continuation of the lockdown.
Chairwoman of German doctor union Marburger Bund, Susanne Johna, told German media on Saturday “the health system urgently needs relief that can only be achieved by extending the measures to limit contact. Otherwise, we will not get the situation under control.”
She called for Germany not to wind back lockdown rules until the country gets below the metric of 50 cases per week per 100,000 residents. Currently, there are 149 cases per 100,000. Germany will meet on January 5 to discuss a lockdown extension.
President of the German Institute for Economic Research, Marcel Fratzscher, said there was an economic case for extending the lockdown.
"Economic easing now may benefit some in the short term, but in the long term it would harm everyone."
President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), Uwe Janssens, said authorities should wait on making a decision until they knew the true impact of Christmas and New Year on the transmission of the virus.
“We won’t see in the hospitals until the end of next week how much Christmas has contributed to the spread of Covid-19. The effects of New Year’s Eve even later," Janssens said on Saturday.
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