Germany set to extend lockdown by 3 weeks

The German government and the country’s 16 federal states have agreed to extend a nationwide lockdown until January 21, German newspaper Bild reported on Monday, without citing a source. 

Following the Bild report, a source told Reuters that “all but two federal states” support the plan, however a “formal decision” will be made on Tuesday, when the German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with the 16 state premiers.

Another report by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper said the extension agreement was made during a video conference on Saturday, adding that there was, however, a disagreement among state premiers on the duration of the extension. In particular, the premiers of less-impacted states argued that a two-week extension was enough. 

The country imposed a strict lockdown on December 16, which closed schools, shops and beauty salons with little effect, as last week, Germany reported a record number of 1,129 daily deaths within 24 hours. 

While current restrictions are set to be in place until January 10, a government spokesman told a news conference on Monday that the situation in Germany’s hospitals has become “extremely difficult.”