Germany's New Coronavirus Cases Fall for Fifth Straight Day
By Andrew Blackman
May 5, 2020, 1:20 AM EDT
Updated on May 5, 2020, 2:08 AM EDT
Government slowly easing curbs on business, leisure activities
Health Minister Spahn says data show outbreak is under control
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The number of new coronavirus cases in Germany declined for the fifth day in a row as the government takes tentative steps to relax restrictions on daily life and reignite economic activity.
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There were 488 additional infections in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, bringing the total to 166,152, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That's the lowest in about five weeks. Fatalities rose by 127 to 6,993.
Germany has slowly eased curbs on business and leisure activities in the past few weeks as the government tries to revive the economy without triggering a second wave of infections. Playgrounds, museums, churches and zoos were allowed to reopen this week, while hair salons became the latest retail outlets to emerge from the lockdown. At the same time, many secondary and primary students are returning to school.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders are due to meet on Wednesday to consider further steps. By then, the government is hoping to have more reliable data on the impact of measures that started on April 20, such as the reopening of some stores. Some state leaders have pushed for a faster return to normal life, while Merkel has urged caution.
"We are seeing, as a result of our joint achievements, that the virus outbreak has gone from a dynamic phase around the beginning to the middle of March to a situation where we have it under control," Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday in an interview with DLF radio.
"And now citizens are understandably asking about the future, especially those who are hardest hit," he added. "So I understand the debate and I think it's important that it takes place, but it's just as important that we foster dependability and trust with clear criteria and joint action."
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Other European countries are also gingerly attempting to get back to business, with restrictions loosening across the continent as the spread of the virus slows. Still, some of the measures will remain in place for weeks or even months, with face masks -- ranging from clinical coverings to brightly colored homemade varieties -- a ubiquitous reminder of the changes.
Separately, Germany's interior ministry on Monday extended border controls with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Italy and Spain through May 15. "In this way, the risk of infection by the coronavirus should continue to be successfully reduced by breaking infection chains," the ministry said.
Germany is closely tracking what's known as the reproduction factor -- called R-naught by epidemiologists -- which reflects the number of additional coronavirus cases directly generated by one infected person. The goal is to keep that number low to avoid exponential growth and overloading the health-care system.
The country's latest R0 edged up to 0.76 from 0.74 the previous day, according to the latest situation report from the country's public health authority published Monday. That means that each person with the virus infects an average of 0.76 other people. The data is based on cases notified as of midnight May 4.
(Updates with extension of border controls in eighth paragraph)
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