Germany: Early end to lockdown could see virus' wave 2

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s disease control agency on Friday urged against ending lockdown measures prematurely, warning that doing so might trigger a new wave of coronavirus.

Lars Schaade, vice head of the Robert Koch Institute, told a news conference on Friday that Germany's relative success in combating coronavirus could have not been possible without the timely imposed lockdown measures.

“And we must keep it that way. We cannot afford to be negligent now,” he said, in response to calls for ending the coronavirus lockdown measures faster.

Schaade warned that being too hasty in lifting restrictions could lead to a rapid increase in new COVID-19 cases, overburdening the health system and causing many deaths.

“We have seen this in other countries. And we have seen how quickly this could happen,” he said.

The death toll from coronavirus in Germany reached 5,575 on Friday, while the total number of cases neared 154,000, according to data analysis firm Risklayer and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Almost 107,000 people have recovered from the virus so far, the Robert Koch Institute has reported.

Germany has the fifth-highest tally of reported COVID-19 infections in the world, behind the US, Spain, Italy, and France. But its death toll remains far lower than other hard-hit countries.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government partially relaxed strict lockdown measures this week, allowing small shops to reopen.

But Merkel also warned against complacency and urged citizens to closely follow social distancing measures to prevent a new wave of infection.

Starting Monday, members of the public in shops and public transport will be required to cover their nose and mouth with a cloth mask.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 185 countries and regions. Europe and the U.S. are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 191,000 people, with total infections exceeding 2.71 million, while more than 745,000 have recovered, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.