Thread by @AP

THREAD: Germans enjoyed a largely relaxed summer with many coronavirus restrictions lifted — the result of a rapid response to the initial outbreak and a reliance on early and aggressive testing that won wide praise. #PandemicAtlas apne.ws/udNG5je

Though government rules on social distancing, hygiene measures and mask wearing remained in place, Germany’s early vigilance slid into complacency, adherence began to slip and the numbers of COVID-19 infections started to rise exponentially. #PandemicAtlas apne.ws/21wSheH

German officials instituted a so-called wave-breaker partial shutdown on Nov. 2, which succeeded in leveling off the rise of new COVID-19 cases by the end of the month, but at numbers nearly four times the March peak. #PandemicAtlas apne.ws/HCSlebG

The German government has now extended coronavirus restrictions until Jan. 10 to try and bring them back down, and some states have already imposed, or are considering, stricter measures. #PandemicAtlas apne.ws/hBDcBjR

Despite the recent rise, Germany is still the envy of many, with a third of deaths compared to Britain and Italy, and just under a third of those of France — all of which have smaller populations. #PandemicAtlas apne.ws/AM1M2mP

The coronavirus emerged a year ago in Wuhan, China, and swept across the world. It brought joblessness and lockdowns, infirmity and death to all corners of the globe. But each nation has its own story of how it coped. Read @AP's #PandemicAtlas project. apne.ws/mOYs2FR