Germany on Tuesday said it is considering local travel bans to curb fresh coronavirus outbreaks, but added a second wave can be avoided if people respect social distancing rules.
“Our measures are appropriate to preventing a second big wave. But this requires us to stay the course, not get careless in our measures, and maintain our respect for the virus”, said Helge Braun, responsible for overseeing the country’s pandemic response.
Germany’s success in curbing the outbreak was attributed to swift action during the early stages of the pandemic. However, the rate of new infections now averages about three per 100,000 inhabitants a week.
“We discarded herd immunity as a political policy completely”, Braun said, and added: “It is a fact that the infections are so low precisely as a result of these measures. That distancing was maintained, that there are hygiene plans, that masks are worn”.
He added that if the source of infection cannot be directly identified and interrupted, “then of course it is logical and also necessary to limit travel in an out of such especially affected areas”.
