’The German government has sent the wrong signal by relaxing coronavirus lockdown’ - The Local
▻https://www.thelocal.de/20200423/the-german-government-has-sent-the-wrong-signal-by-relaxing-coronavirus-loc
▻https://www.thelocal.de/userdata/images/article/42cb3542101a9a273735d5ec12de3ff899b762d2622ee7406c5a7849d430d61d.jpg
▻https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/media/thumbs/0/0ace8a12d1a775174042b9b7e0b4814av1_abs_635x357_b3535db83dc50e2
Virologist Melanie Brinkmann of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, told Spiegel that relaxing some lockdown measures leads people to think the coronavirus crisis in Germany is coming to an end.
“People are now seeing that some measures are being relaxed, and this gives them the impression that they will soon be able to return to normal life." said Brinkmann.
However, there is no chance of that happening anytime soon, she said.
“The government has sent the wrong signal with the relaxation, and I am afraid that many people are now no longer taking the virus so seriously and are having more contact with other people again,” said Brinkmann.
“If that happens, we will soon be back to where we started.”
Contact restrictions, including a ban on gatherings of more than two people outside, are still in place in Germany up to and including May 3rd but public life is gradually reopening.
But scientists have been saying the country should not move too quickly.
Virologist Christian Drosten, warned in an NDR podcast that a second wave of infection could hit Germany with even greater force than the first. The virus “continues to spread” even with measures in place he said.