The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases reported 7,676 new cases on Sunday, up 1,562 from one week ago. The key seven-day incidence rate increased to 60.2 across the nation, up from 57.7 a day earlier.
German authorities have repeatedly pointed to a maximum incidence rate of 50 as a target for opening up. However, schools in 10 of Germany’s 16 federal states are scheduled to reopen on Monday.
Specialists blamed more-infectious variants of the virus for the increase in numbers.
Moreover, the seven-day R-value was put at 1.07 on Saturday afternoon, the highest in several weeks. This means that 100 infected people mathematically infect 107 more individuals.
Health Minister Jens Spahn mentioned Germany was in a “really difficult phase” of the pandemic. He mentioned he knew that everyone was tired after 12 months. “A child who’s 10 years old has now spent a 10th of his life within the pandemic.”
Nursery and primary school staff are within the third priority group, according to the current vaccination laws, and will probably not be up till the summer.
Lower Saxony and other states are lobbying the federal government to change the vaccination ordinance so that lecturers and educators will be vaccinated earlier than planned with unused doses. The state reportedly has many spare vaccines as people fail to show up for their vaccine appointments.
Meanwhile, the GEW education and science union criticized states that will reopen faculties regardless of the unfold of variants. They are taking “a high threat — for the health of teachers, students and their parents,” GEW chair Marlis Tepe informed the Funke media group.
