A draft proposal showed on Tuesday that Germany’s 16 federal states plan to allow up to 10 people to gather during Christmas and New Year, and relax restrictions on the coronavirus to allow family and friends to celebrate together.
The state prime minister will reach an agreement with Prime Minister Angela Merkel on Wednesday. Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said in an interview with ARD TV that he believes the agreement reached by the leaders on Monday will be adopted.
The prime ministers agreed to extend the nationwide “blocked lights” launched on November 2 to December 20 to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will keep bars, restaurants and entertainment venues closed, while schools and shops remain open.
They also agreed to reduce the number of people allowed to hold meetings to five from December 1.
According to their plan, assistance will be provided to companies subject to the November restrictions. The government expects the aid cost in November to be between 1 and 1.5 billion euros, and sources estimate that the additional cost in December may be about 1.5 to 2 billion euros.
