Infection Rate On The Rise In Germany ?

Germany infection rate rises to 1.0 as people told to stay home as much as possible

The head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases has called on Germans to stay at home as much as possible after new figures showed the coronavirus infection rate had increased.

Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said the virus reproduction rate, dubbed ‘R’, is now at 1.0 in Germany, which means one person with the virus infects one other on average. Earlier this month, the rate was at 0.7.

It comes after Germany eased some of its lockdown restrictions last week, allowing retailers with floor space of up to 800 sq metres to reopen, along with car and bicycle dealers, and bookshops.

According to Reuters, Wieler told a regular news conference:

"Against the background of the easing (of restrictions), let’s ensure we can continue to defend this success we have achieved together. We don’t want the number of cases to rise again. Let’s, insofar as is possible, stay at home, let’s stick to the reduced contact."

Academics have suggested public life may gradually return to normal if certain conditions are met, including the ‘R’ rate, stabilising at a low level.

"The number should stay below one, that is the big goal. The further it is below one, the more secure we can feel, the more leeway we have, but there are other numbers that are also important."

The drop in new infections means that officials are now able to carry out contact-tracing again – something that had been abandoned in March when cases were rising too quickly, AFP reported.

By contrast, the mortality rate from the disease has been rising day by day. On Tuesday, it had reached 3.8%, according to RKI figures, which remains well below some neighbouring countries such as France.