German minister says may have to re-impose some COVID curbs

Move would be a blow to Mallorcan tourist industry which was hoping to kick-start holiday season

Vaccination plan. | DADO RUVIC

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter19/03/2021 16:34

German health minister Jens Spahn today dampened hopes that further coronavirus restrictions will be lifted soon, saying rising infections could mean that curbs to slow the spread of the virus may have to be re-imposed. This would be a blow to the Mallorcan tourist industry which is hoping that the German market would kick-start the local travel industry.

"The rising case numbers may mean that we cannot take further opening steps in the weeks to come. On the contrary, we may even have to take steps backwards," Spahn told a weekly news conference.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet with leaders of Germany's 16 federal states on Monday to discuss whether to extend a lockdown that has been in place since mid-December.

Earlier this month, the group had laid out plans for a gradual re-opening of the economy, and many shops have since been opened for appointment-only shopping.

But coronavirus infections numbers have been on the rise in recent weeks. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 17,482 to 2,629,750, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. The reported death toll rose by 226 to 74,358. The number of infections per 100,000 people over seven days rose to 96, up from 72 a week ago and from 65 on March 4, when Merkel and the state premiers laid out their re-opening plan.