Merkel says goal is to lift restrictions, although she does not specify when

Berlin, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the government’s goal is to lift Covid-19 restrictions when they are no longer needed, although she did not give a specific date.

“All the measures have been decided on the basis of the norms of our democracy, which makes it legitimate. But I know very well that as a democracy we are also obliged not to keep these restrictions in place one day longer than necessary and to lift them when they are no longer justified,” Merkel said.

During a speech at the Bundestag to explain the decision made on Wednesday to extend the restrictions until 7 March, Merkel indicated that schools will be able to gradually return to in-person classes before that date and hair saloons would be able to reopen on 1 March.

The chancellor stressed that there are “good prospects” so that by March 1 the seven-day cumulative incidence will have dropped from 64.2 new cases per 100.000 today to 50, a level that is considered necessary to trace all the contagion chains.

In order to reopen non-essential shops, museums and services that require prolonged physical contact, the new criterion agreed with regional powers sets an incidence rate of no more than 35 cases per 100.000 inhabitants. EFE-EPA

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