Germany Poised to Prolong Most Curbs, Waiting on More Data

(Bloomberg) --

German officials signaled there won’t be a significant further easing of restrictions on public life for at least another week as data showed coronavirus infections in Europe’s biggest economy rose the most in four days.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to consult with state premiers later on Thursday on whether to lift more of the curbs imposed to stop the disease from spreading. Helge Braun, who heads Merkel’s office, said limits on public contact will be extended at least until May 10, in line with a strategy already adopted by regions including Bavaria.

Both Braun and Stephan Weil, the premier of Lower Saxony, said that officials want to wait for data on the impact on the outbreak of this week’s reopening of some shops. Two weeks of information is needed to provide a reliable basis for discussion on a potential further easing of curbs, Weil said in an interview with ARD TV.

“It will nevertheless be a worthwhile meeting today, and there will certainly be one or two decisions taken,” Weil said. Some states with lower infection rates should be allowed to dial down curbs more quickly, though in general there should be a unified position across Germany, he added.

In the absence of a vaccine, European leaders are trying to strike a balance between reigniting the economy and avoiding a second wave of infections. Merkel has argued for a cautious approach and other governments have also stressed that there’s still a long way to go before the virus is beaten.

“We cannot yet tell from the figures whether a further opening is feasible,” Braun said Thursday in an interview with broadcaster n-tv. Merkel will consult again with state leaders on May 6 and further easing is possible after that “if the numbers are good,” Braun said, adding that tracking infections using an app under development will be crucial.

Germany will allow playgrounds, museums, zoos and churches to reopen, while delaying bigger steps to relax restrictions, according to news agency DPA.

Read more: Children With Coronavirus May Be Just as Infectious as Adults

Policy makers will also discuss resuming professional soccer at the meeting, with Braun indicating that games may be allowed at empty stadiums.

“I’m more in favor of being able to watch soccer on TV at least,” he told Hit Radio FFH. Braun hopes child daycare facilities can resume by the summer holidays, but entertainment such as restaurants, concerts and travel may take longer.

Merkel and her team have won widespread praise for their response to the virus, which appears to have prevented the outbreak taking hold to the same extent as in European peers like Italy and Spain.

But the struggles to control the spread are evident in the latest figures, with new cases in Germany rising by 1,627 in the 24 hours through Thursday morning, taking the total to 161,539, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The death rate inched up to 4% from 3.95% a day earlier.

“We are at the beginning of this marathon,” Lothar Wieler, president of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, said during a briefing with reporters. “We don’t know how much time will pass before the marathon is over.”

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