Germany looks set to extend COVID-19 lockdown measures again
March 22, 2021, 11:03 am

Germany looks set to extend COVID-19 lockdown measures again

A model of the coronavirus is seen attached to a sign during a protest against the government's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Kassel, Germany March 20, 2021. (File photo: Reuters)

German authorities are expected to extend lockdown measures again on Monday and possibly tighten some restrictions as they face a steady rise in new coronavirus infections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors, who in highly decentralized Germany are responsible for imposing and lifting restrictions, are holding a videoconference nearly three weeks after they agreed a several-step plan paving the way to relax some rules.

Since then, infections have increased steadily as the more contagious variant first detected in Britain has become dominant. Most lockdown restrictions are currently set to run through March 28. The chancellery is proposing an extension to April 18.

Rather than new moves toward a more normal life, one focus now is pressing regional officials to use consistently an “emergency brake” mechanism under which relaxations granted in recent weeks — such as the partial reopening of nonessential shops — are supposed to be reimposed if new weekly infections in an area exceed 100 per 100,000 residents on three consecutive days.

“Unfortunately, we will have to make use of this emergency brake,” Merkel said Friday.

The weekly infection rate per 100,000 people stood at 107 nationwide on Monday, up from the mid-60s three weeks ago.

Officials also face the question of what to do about Easter holidays. Restaurants, bars and many leisure facilities in Germany have been shut since early November, and hotels closed for tourists.

At the same time, Germany’s criteria for assessing the virus situation abroad meant that a travel warning for parts of Spain was lifted earlier this month, prompting a much-criticized surge of bookings to the popular vacation island of Mallorca.

There have been calls for people returning even from places abroad that aren’t deemed “risk areas” to face obligatory tests and quarantine. The government has stressed that it continues to discourage tourist trips.

Meanwhile, Germany is trying to speed up its vaccination campaign after a slow start. On Friday, Merkel and the state governors agreed to gradually bring on board ordinary doctors’ practices just after Easter. So far, Germany has largely relied on special vaccination centers.

As of Saturday, 8,7 percent of the population had received at least a first dose of vaccine and 3.9 percent had received both doses.

source: The Associated Press

Image source: Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”