Baden-Württemberg goes into lockdown after Christmas

DPA Friday, December 11, 2020 - 09:01 PM Baden-Württemberg goes into lockdown after Christmas until at least January 10 due to the unchecked rise in Corona infections. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) announced on Friday that, if necessary, he would seek a joint solution with Baden-Württemberg's neighboring states, unless a uniform solution could be found at the national level. Exactly what the lockdown should look like initially remained open. "The situation is unfortunately alarming," Kretschmann stressed. "We have signs of a renewed exponential increase in new infections, so it is imperative that we drastically tighten the measures." He said the state government and local state associations jointly concluded that a hard lockdown after Christmas until at least Jan. 10, 2021, was essential. Kretschmann said he would lobby accordingly for such a step at the conference of state premiers with the Chancellor scheduled for Sunday. If a unified solution is not agreed upon, the southwest wants to move forward with neighboring states. Because of strongly rising Corona new infections in completely Baden-Wuerttemberg the green-black cabinet comes together on Friday in Stuttgart to a special meeting. Afterwards, a press conference with Kretschmann and Deputy Head of Government Thomas Strobl (CDU) is planned. The number of confirmed Corona infections in the southwest had recently increased within one day by 4208 cases to a total of 179 154 infections since the beginning of the pandemic. Nationwide, the value for new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days was 168.8 and thus again higher than on the previous days.