Germans must reduce travel, partying to fight COVID-19, says Merkel aide

[webfact]

Germans must reduce travel, partying to fight COVID-19, says Merkel aide

 

Police controls ID's and guest lists due to restrictions against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a pub at famous red-light-district Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany October 10, 2020. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

 

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany should continue capping the number of people allowed at gatherings and clamp down on unnecessary travel as the country battles rising coronavirus infections, an aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday.

 

"We must be a bit stricter in places where infection chains spread mostly, which is parties and, unfortunately, also travel," the chancellor's chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD.

 

"We are at the beginning of a second wave and only the politicians' and the population's determination will decide whether or not we can avoid it, or slow it down," he added.

 

Germany had managed to keep the number of new infections and deaths lower than many of its neighbours but the daily number of new cases has leapt above 4,000 since Thursday, the highest since April.

 

Sunday's count was below that but that is because test reports tend to be lower at weekends.

 

Merkel and mayors from Germany's 11 largest cities agreed on Friday to adopt stricter measures if infections exceed a threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 population in a week.

 

More than 20 cities are now above that level, which has caused a patchwork of internal travel restrictions.

 

Braun, a medical doctor, said test centres should prioritise health sector workers and people showing symptoms over tourists. Holidaymakers can circumvent the local travel curbs if they produce negative test results.

 

Bavaria's prime minister, Markus Soeder, at the weekend proposed steeper fines for people not wearing masks where mandated in places such as public transport and shops -- of 250 euros ($295.60) compared with the current 50 euros, and 500 euros for repeat offenders.

 

Braun said he agreed with tough penalties.

 

Merkel will hold further talks with state premiers on Wednesday.

 

($1 = 0.8457 euros)

 

(Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editint by Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-12

 

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[nobodysfriend]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

clamp down on unnecessary travel

2nd wave is there already .

Thailand keeps it's borders closed .

Germans do not want to travel by air anymore anyway , and they are not the only ones .

Bye Bye to mass tourism for Thailand , and that for a long time .

Even the chinese seem to be not willing to come anymore to LoS ... ( STV )

Only the ones who are able to adapt to an ever changing environment will ( financially ) survive .

[UB40]

Just for understanding ... our health minister is a bank clerk with core competence in AIDS

PCR tests aren't suitable to state virus infections. Additional they have an error-rate higher than 10%.

More testing = more infections. Still 200000 test from April not examened. Last week 1 person was added as actual infected, test was before 5 months. 

I'm not believing all those fake lists anymore.

If we woluld increase IQ-testing, so that list would show more idiots, too.

I prefer testing of those vaccines first with our political "elite". If they survive, the vaccines are ok. If they don't, our country is rescued.

Oh ... by the way ... let's be happy, that we don't have to handle a flu desease. or? Covid = flu? 

[vermin on arrival]

6 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

2nd wave is there already .

Thailand keeps it's borders closed .

Germans do not want to travel by air anymore anyway , and they are not the only ones .

Bye Bye to mass tourism for Thailand , and that for a long time .

Even the chinese seem to be not willing to come anymore to LoS ... ( STV )

Only the ones who are able to adapt to an ever changing environment will ( financially ) survive .

Nonsense. It's just a casedemic. Hospitalizations and deaths are low, with only 545 severe cases in the whole country. There will most likely not be a big second wave. If there is one, it will probably be caused by the suppression measures, which don't allow enough young healthy people to get infected to give societal immunity.

[hotchilli]

14 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Thailand keeps it's borders closed .

Except the leaky bits where neighbours pop over the fence, or where traffickers aide illegal entry for a quick profit.

[Scott]

Troll post removed.

 

[micmichd]

16 hours ago, UB40 said:

Just for understanding ... our health minister is a bank clerk with core competence in AIDS

PCR tests aren't suitable to state virus infections. Additional they have an error-rate higher than 10%.

More testing = more infections. Still 200000 test from April not examened. Last week 1 person was added as actual infected, test was before 5 months. 

I'm not believing all those fake lists anymore.

If we woluld increase IQ-testing, so that list would show more idiots, too.

I prefer testing of those vaccines first with our political "elite". If they survive, the vaccines are ok. If they don't, our country is rescued.

Oh ... by the way ... let's be happy, that we don't have to handle a flu desease. or? Covid = flu? 

Good idea, but that would not get more Germans into Thailand. 

And I don't miss them really. 

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, UB40 said:

Just for understanding ... our health minister is a bank clerk with core competence in AIDS

PCR tests aren't suitable to state virus infections. Additional they have an error-rate higher than 10%.

 

 

 

 

False positives are very rare - just 1% And it is routine to do a second test to confirmt a positive result. Chance of 2 false positives = .1%, i.e. 99.9% accurate.

 

False negatives  are common, especially early in the disease.

 

The PCR test is still the best test available.

 

 

[Rimmer]

Off topic post removed

[Stargeezr]

I am glad to see that Germany is still not getting the numbers the USA is getting,

at least they are warning their people to smarten up or get a more strict bunch

of rules to live by. The USA gets political rallies, courtesy of Trump. 

Stay cautious Europe and Asia, no one has the vaccine yet, and forget

herd immunity, it did not work with the Lemmings.  Cliff ahead, Cliff ahead!

Geezer

[micmichd]

2 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I am glad to see that Germany is still not getting the numbers the USA is getting,

at least they are warning their people to smarten up or get a more strict bunch

of rules to live by. The USA gets political rallies, courtesy of Trump. 

Stay cautious Europe and Asia, no one has the vaccine yet, and forget

herd immunity, it did not work with the Lemmings.  Cliff ahead, Cliff ahead!

Geezer

But Germany is tumbling again now on the risk country list while Thailand is not. 

Of course there are diseases in Thailand like dementia and Alzheimer's. But in Thailand they handle it the Big Easy way. And they have their super strong families to support you, me and them. 

[UB40]

On 10/13/2020 at 6:02 AM, micmichd said:

And I don't miss them really

However. There are some kinds of people, I don't miss, too. But that's not the basic of this threat

[Stargeezr]

Thailand not only has few covid numbers, thankfully,  but my Thai family

has noticed more deaths from many other causes. Dengue fever, some

malaria, some from pneumonia, etc. Lots of tropical diseases to

think about as well.  Good luck Thailand, stay healthy and safe.

[ravip]

On 10/12/2020 at 4:56 PM, UB40 said:

Just for understanding ... our health minister is a bank clerk with core competence in AIDS

PCR tests aren't suitable to state virus infections. Additional they have an error-rate higher than 10%.

More testing = more infections. Still 200000 test from April not examened. Last week 1 person was added as actual infected, test was before 5 months. 

I'm not believing all those fake lists anymore.

If we woluld increase IQ-testing, so that list would show more idiots, too.

I prefer testing of those vaccines first with our political "elite". If they survive, the vaccines are ok. If they don't, our country is rescued.

Oh ... by the way ... let's be happy, that we don't have to handle a flu desease. or? Covid = flu? 

If we woluld increase IQ-testing, so that list would show more idiots, too.

I prefer testing of those vaccines first with our political "elite". If they survive, the vaccines are ok. If they don't, our country is rescued.

 

WOW! This theory should be made mandatory to ALL the countries!

I am sure, this world would be a paradise to live on then.