German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the cancellation of all unnecessary public events after the coronavirus claimed three more lives in Germany on Thursday. The virus is an 'unfamiliar challenge,' she said.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B.v. Jutrczenka
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called for more public events to be cancelled and alluded to the possibility of school closures as Germany reported three more deaths linked to the outbreak of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
"This is a call to all," she said in a press conference. "Where possible, social contact should be avoided."
All unnecessary events with less than 1,000 people to be cancelled, she said, stepping up an earlier call to cancel all events with over 1,000 attendees.
Regions particularly affected by the outbreak retained the option of closing all schools on a state by state basis, for example by moving forward the start of the upcoming Easter holiday, she said. Minutes before the press conference began, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced that all schools and universities in France would close starting on Monday.
Current measures are planned with a timeline of 4-to-5 weeks in mind. "This time period is crucial in terms of how things will develop," the chancellor said.
The German leader said the coronavirus outbreak is even more exceptional than the 2009 Eurozone Debt Crisis.
"We are in a very unusual situation," she added. "Extreme situations require extreme measures. This is anything but a small point in the course of history. It's a decisive moment that demands a lot from us."
German death toll mounts
Germany reported three more deaths related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, bringing the national total to six.
The Thursday fatalities included a 78-year-old woman in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, an 80-year-old man in Bavaria, and a 67-year-old man in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg.
The two male patients were the the first deaths outside of North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state where the majority of cases have been reported.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Germany currently stands at 2,078.
"We need to change our daily lives — not gradually, but right now," he said. "With everything we know today, we are looking at some very serious developments to come."
He described the outbreak as a challenge "that we can and will overcome, thanks to our well-functioning health system."
How is coronavirus affecting life in Germany?
With thousands of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in Germany, the daily routine for many has been upended. From football to flights, car manufacturing to culture, DW looks at life amid the outbreak.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Rumpenhorst
Food donations drop
Panic-buying has left empty shelves in supermarkets — and food banks. With Germans snapping up canned goods and toilet paper to weather the outbreak, stores have fewer supplies left over to donate to the needy, said Jochen Brühl, head of Tafel Deutschland, which supports more than 1.5 million people with surplus groceries and other donations. Brühl encouraged those who had overreacted to donate.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Matzka
Bundesliga suspended
After playing one match behind closed doors, the Bundesliga has suspended its season until at least April 2. The Germany football league had considered playing matches behind closed doors until Paderborn's coach Steffen Baumgart and defender Luca Kilian tested positive for COVID-19.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/O. Berg
Cultural cancellations
Cultural life has also taken a hit, with major fairs and trade shows canceled or postponed. Among the casualties were the Leipzig Book Fair and the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Europe's biggest music trade fair. Numerous clubs, galleries and museums have closed across the country, and the gala award show for the annual German film and television award, the Goldene Kamera, has been moved to November.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Not the 'Wuhan flu'
The Chinese origin of the virus has led to an increase in xenophobic sentiment in the places worst hit by the outbreak. Asian restaurants and stores — not just Chinese — have reported empty tables in countries hard hit by the pandemic, and people with Asian features have experienced discrimination. At a recent Bundesliga game in Leipzig, a group of Japanese fans was ejected from the stadium.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Solaro
Flights grounded
German airline Lufthansa has massively reduced its flight capacity as business and personal travel is cut back. The flagship carrier is now seeking state aid, according to a report from Germany business newspaper Handelsblatt. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr will be attending a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to government sources.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
Car production crippled
Car plants in China have been shut down since January, and major German automakers like Volkswagen and Daimler have said both sales and production have been hit by the epidemic. And with many automakers sourcing electric car parts from China, work at plants in Germany has also hit a stumbling block. Berlin has said it plans to financially support companies suffering coronavirus losses.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/J. Meyer
Fewer tourists
"The consequences for the German tourism sector are serious," warned Guido Zöllick, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. Already by the second week of March, 76.1% of members had reported a sharp decrease in bookings and a drop in revenue. The German parliament has banned tourists from visiting the glass dome of the Reichstag building until further notice.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Wurtscheid
Border checks
In an effort to prevent further spread, Germany has closed its borders with France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. Authorities in Poland and the Czech Republic had already begun spot checks, measuring the temperature of travelers crossing main road borders out of Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Weigel
School closures
Preschools and primary schools across Germany have shut. The closures have affected more than 2.2 million children up to age 16 countrywide, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office. German television stations have adjusted their programming in response to the school closures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Seidel
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'Avoid hugging'
The elderly must act particularly carefully, German Social Affairs Minister Franziska Giffey said on Thursday.
"Older people, grandparents and their families should rethink their habits, for example by avoiding local public transport, stopping hugging people and not attending large public events," she said.
The effects of a coronavirus infection have proven particularly severe for elderly people and those with underlying health conditions.
The eastern German city of Halle closed all schools and kindergartens, but some are concerned that closing schools can put grandparents who step in as caregivers under risk by putting them in contact with young children who may be infected.
"The surge is extremely quick," Germany's federal government agency for disease control and prevention, the Robert Koch Institute, announced. On Wednesday Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested that up to 70% of the population could become infected.
Merkel's CDU party have canceled a conference scheduled for April 25 because of the outbreak, when Merkel's successor as party leader was supposed to be elected.
