Germany is witnessing the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic as the cases of infection spiked in the country after the rapid spread of the mutated strains, as per media reports.
The coronavirus cases have also surged in the Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, and Greece, Sky News reported.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that the country should be cautious while re-opening and this should be done step-by-step in order to avoid a sudden lockdown if Covid-19 infections surge again.
“We cannot afford ups and downs,” Merkel told participants of an online conference of the center-right CDU/CSU parliamentary group, according to sources who spoke to the media post-meeting, DW News reported.
Next Wednesday, Merkel will convene the leaders of Germany’s 16 states to discuss the way out of a lockdown that began in November and was extended until at least March 7.
So far, Germany has reported 2,416,037 cases of the coronavirus, with 69,610 deaths. While 2,226,500 have recovered from the infection.