German schools to reopen in early May, citizens encouraged to wear masks shopping and on public transport

At a press conference on Wednesday after talks with the governors of Germany’s 16 states, Merkel sought to reassure Germans that hospitals are not overburdened and thanked them for adhering to social distancing measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Despite this, she said that most of the lockdown restrictions will remain in place until at least May 3. The ban on religious services will also be maintained for the time being. However, some stores will be allowed to reopen next week but the government will be encouraging citizens to wear protective face masks while shopping and on public transport.

The Chancellor said that any further relaxation of the restrictions will depend on how the infection rate develops. She told the assembled media that the measures had brought a “fragile intermediate success” in the fight against the pandemic. She also said that health authorities are working on an app that will enable them to track coronavirus cases.