Merkel hammering home today that although smaller shops open again as of today - this is not a "getting back to normal" #coronavirus /1
Merkel warned Germans that it was better to be cautious than overconfident as regards lifting #coronavirus restrictions. Otherwise Germany risked a second wave of infections -she said -leading to hospitals being overwhelmed. Something Germany has so far managed to avoid. /2
Merkel underlined that being cautious was better for the economy in the long run too. Said each time they lifted some restrictions, the impact as regards the number of new #coronavirus infections, would only become clear 2 weeks later. /3
Merkel said it was crucial to understand better "how infection chains unfold" before society could really re-open. She said Germany wld have a tracing team of at least 5 people per 20,000 German inhabitants to be able to find those in contact with newly infected individuals /4
