The impact of COVID-19 in the country reached a “critical” level this week, with the number of infections reaching a new high

*Paromita Das

The German health minister has urged federal states to reconsider coronavirus guidelines before lifting limitations. Of other developments, a Chinese city has been shut down due to an increase in COVID instances.

The impact of COVID-19 in Germany has reached a “critical” level, according to German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, as the number of infections hit a record high this week.

“We are in a grave situation,” Lauterbach said during the weekly coronavirus press conference in Berlin on Friday. “We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of reported cases.

I keep hearing that the omicron form is a milder variant, but this is only partially accurate.”

Despite plans to loosen COVID-19 guidelines further, Germany recorded a record high number of coronavirus infections in 24 hours on Thursday, and a nearly identical total, 252,836 cases, on Friday.

“The situation is objectively worse than the popular mood,” the minister of health stated.

He called several Germans’, particularly politicians, conviction that the pandemic was over an “error of judgement.”

“We cannot be comfortable with a system in which 250 people die every day and the threat of additional deaths in the coming weeks,” he said.

After a period of relaxation, Germany will lift most coronavirus restrictions on March 20. State governments will thereafter be able to impose measures such as wearing masks, testing, and other precautions in viral “hot zones” at their discretion.

Long-distance trains and aircraft will continue to require masks.

Africa

Kenya’s government stated on Friday that it would discontinue the wearing of masks in public in order to alleviate COVID-19 regulations that had been in place for two years.

“The requirement to wear face masks in open public settings has now been eliminated,” said Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe in a statement on Friday.

It comes as rates of COVID infection in Kenya have plummeted to 1% or less in the last month, according to the minister.

People who have been twice vaccinated would be allowed into athletic events, and all in-person worship services will be allowed to continue at full capacity as long as all attendees have been properly jabbed, he said.

“This, however, is not to argue that we are already entirely out of the woods,” he continued.

Kagwe advocated for the ongoing usage of masks indoors as well as social separation in public spaces.

Asia

Following a recent rise in local COVID-19 cases due to the omicron form, China ordered the lockdown of the northeastern city of Changchun.

Mainland According to the most recent daily official count, China recorded over 1,000 new COVID-19 infections scattered over dozens of cities, the largest daily count in roughly two years.

Residents of the 9 million-person city must stay at home, with one family member allowed to leave the house every two days to acquire food and other necessities.

All residents must also go through three rounds of mass testing, while non-essential businesses have been closed and transportation links have been suspended.

Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, has urged for additional vaccinations as growing diseases raise concerns. Lam stated on Friday that the city’s COVID-19 vaccination programme will target the elderly and children as authorities work to reduce rising infection and death rates.

On Friday, health officials reported 29,381 new illnesses and 196 deaths. Since early 2020, Hong Kong has documented about 650,000 COVID-19 infections and approximately 3,500 deaths, the majority of which have occurred in the last two weeks.

On Friday, a World Health Organization (WHO) official advised the Philippines to remain watchful against Covid-19, predicting that another outbreak was “inevitable.”

As the number of cases continues to fall below 1,000 per day, authorities in the Philippines have been attempting to relax restrictions. Since the beginning of the month, 40 locations across the country, including the capital, have remained on Level 1 of a five-tier warning system.

This meant that enterprises could run at full capacity, but face masks and social isolation were still essential.

WHO’s interim national representative, Rajendra Prasav Yadav, said it was “too early to declare triumph over the virus.”

“When we start lowering our guards and masks, it’s a tragedy since the vaccination rate has slowed significantly in the last few days,” he stated in a televised interview. “We must be vigilant, be awake, and prepare for the next wave, which I believe is unavoidable.” 

America 

The mandate to wear masks on airlines and public transportation in the United States will be extended for another month, according to federal officials.

It announced the decision while also considering steps that could lead to the rule being lifted totally.

The mask mandate was set to expire on March 18, but has now been extended until April 18, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).