Germany: RKI reports more than 18,000 new infections within one day for the first time

The corona virus is spreading in Germany at record speed. The Robert Koch Institute reported more than 18,000 new infections in one day for the first time on Friday. According to the RKI, the health authorities reported 18,681 proven cases of infection within 24 hours. On Thursday there were 16,774. A total of 499,694 infections have been registered since the outbreak of the epidemic. The number of people who died with or from the virus rose 77 to a total of 10,349.

The number of reproductions, or R value for short, was 0.97 in Germany according to the RKI situation report on Thursday (previous day: 1.03). This means that one infected person infects another person. The R-value depicts the infection rate about one and a half weeks beforehand.

In addition, the RKI gives a so-called seven-day R in its management report. The value relates to a longer period and is therefore less subject to daily fluctuations. According to RKI estimates, this value was 1.17 on Thursday. It shows the infection process from 8 to 16 days ago.

“Why do nail salons have to close, but not hairdressers?”

In the fight against the wave of infections, public life in the Federal Republic will be drastically restricted in November. The federal and state governments agreed on this on Wednesday. A few days before the partial lockdown begins, however, there are doubts as to whether the new measures are legally watertight.

The lawyer and FDP vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki wrote in a guest article for the “Passauer Neue Presse” on Friday: “The decisions remain of such a remarkable contradiction that it is only questionable when the first court will overturn them and not whether.” The Bundestag Vice President asks: “Why do nail salons have to close, but hairdressers not? Why are restaurants also being closed where they are still a long way from the self-defined threshold values? ”All of this can no longer be explained.

The constitutional lawyer Ulrich Battis expects a successful wave of lawsuits. “I firmly assume that there will be a high number of lawsuits and that many will get away with it as before in interim legal protection proceedings, see the overturned bans on accommodation and curfew”, Battis told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” on Friday. The first decisions could already be made in the coming week. “But I don’t expect the entire lockdown to be overturned by the courts.”

From Monday on, contacts are to be limited to ten people from a maximum of two households. Catering establishments as well as cultural and leisure facilities will be closed throughout November. Hotels are banned from accepting tourists. Schools and daycare centers should, however, remain open.