An outbreak of COVID-19 cases is expected in Germany this winter, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said, criticizing plans by four states to relax isolation rules for infected people.
Concerned by the fact that the number of infections may increase, Lauterbach said. “We will have an even stronger wave than predicted, and we are on the verge of a more infectious version.”
Lauterbach added that the state administrations of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein, where about two-fifths of the country’s population lives, did not receive the approval of the Federal Government. The joint statement said they plan to lift the five-day national quarantine period, which means that those who test positive but feel well can leave their homes if they wear a mask.
