Germany is facing calls for a second lockdown before Christmas after recording 585 deaths and 29,875 new infections in one day – the highest numbers since the pandemic began.
“We have to act urgently. We have to do more than was previously planned,” warned Economy Minister Peter Altmaier.
Russia and Ukraine also reported record numbers of fatalities on Friday.
However, the latest excess death statistics have cast doubt on the numbers announced in Russian updates.
Germany has been under partial lockdown since early November, shutting bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, and a relaxation had been planned over Christmas.
But the rise in infections has increasingly alarmed top officials, with Lothar Wieler, head of Germany’s public healthy body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), describing the situation as “extremely fragile”. Chancellor Angela Merkel made an impassioned speech in the Bundestag (parliament) this week calling for tighter measures, saying that “500 deaths a day is unacceptable”.
On Friday, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer warned that the only chance of regaining control was an immediate lockdown. “If we wait until Christmas, we’ll have to struggle with high numbers for months,” he told the Spiegel website.
Bavaria, in the south, has already imposed tighter measures and Mrs. Merkel is reportedly set to meet all 16 state leaders on Sunday.
Elsewhere in Europe:
- Ukrainehas recorded a record 285 deaths
- Shopping centres, restaurants and bars in Cyprus have closed their doors until 31 December to curb the spread
- Czechofficials say the pandemic is now accelerating and they will meet on Monday to discuss a response
What’s happening in Russia?
Russia’s pandemic task force says 613 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 45,893. Moscow and St Petersburg were worst hit.
However, official data about “excess” deaths – those above expected levels – has called this total into question. There were nearly 50,000 more “excess” deaths in October 2020 than in the same month last year.
