Germany will go into partial lockdown from Monday 2 November, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the sixteen states decided on Wednesday.
The country will introduce a 'lockdown light', which resembles the measures that were taken during the first coronavirus wave in the country.
The intention is to use contact restrictions to control the increasing number of infections and to ensure that the Germans can spend Christmas with their families, according to the authorities.
From Monday, and until at least the end of November, families are only allowed to meet up if they do not exceed the maximum of 10 people together, and there are no more than two households, according to local media.
Restaurants, bars, clubs, nightclubs and cafés will close down. but home delivery or takeaway will still be allowed.
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Theatres, opera houses, concert halls, and cinemas also have to close their doors, as well as fitness centres and swimming pools.
Amateur sports competitions are no longer allowed, and training sessions have also been cancelled. Individual sports, such as jogging, are still allowed.
Professional sports games are still allowed, but without an audience. Schools and creches remain open, and hairdressers are also allowed to continue working.
Supermarkets remain open, but measures for people going shopping will become stricter.
The impact of the new measures will be evaluated two weeks after their entry into force.
"We are in a very serious situation," Merkel said during a press conference. "We must act, and now, to avoid an acute national health emergency."
In the past 24 hours, Germany recorded 14,964 new infections, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 449,275.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
