Germany may see 20,000 new daily Covid-19 cases by end of this week, minister warns

Germany’s economy minister has sounded the alarm, warning that he expects the number of new coronavirus infections in Germany to stand at 20,000 a day by the end of this week.

Like other European states, Germany is currently struggling with an uptick in coronavirus cases.

“We are dealing with exponential growth,” Peter Altmaier told a German-French economic conference via video link. “In Germany the number of new infections is rising by 70-75 percent compared to the week before.”

According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 11,409 in a day to 449,275 as of Tuesday.

Altmaier doubts that economic growth in Europe will rebound quickly due to rising infections and restrictions imposed to stop their spread. But on a more positive note he believes that supply chains are unlikely to be disrupted.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz also said on Tuesday that Germany should take quick and decisive steps because the rise of coronavirus infections over the past few days was “very worrying.”

He wants additional measures to be targeted and limited in time, similar in all regions, and be understandable to the people. The coming weeks will decide whether Germany will continue to get through the pandemic comparatively well, Scholz stressed.

Chancellor Angela Merkel was reported in late September as saying that unless Covid-19 outbreaks are tackled effectively, Germany “will have 19,200 infections per day by Christmas.”

Merkel and leaders of Germany’s 16 states will on Wednesday discuss additional restrictive measures to slow the second wave of the pandemic. German daily Bild reported on Monday that the chancellor is planning a “lockdown-light” that would see bars and restaurants closed.

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