BERLIN - Schools and kindergartens will
be shut in most German states until after the Easter holiday in
April, a measure designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"The challenge is immense," Bavarian state premier Markus
Soeder told a news conference.
"As of next Monday the schools and children's day-care
centres will be closed - this will apply provisionally until the
end of the Easter holidays, that is until April 20," he said,
adding the authorities would then take stock of the situation.
Ten other states, including North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany's most populous region, have taken similar measures as
the number of confirmed cases across the nation jumped by 671 to
3,062.
In Berlin, schools and day-care centres will gradually shut
down starting on Monday and public transport will be reduced to
a minimum, Mayor Michael Mueller said.
Calls have been growing for Germany to follow the bulk of
its European neighbours in shuttering schools to help slow the
spread of the virus. The country's highly devolved system means
only regional governments can make that call.
Health Minister Jens Spahn urged hospitals in a letter to
recall retired medical staff and retrain them in case medical
facilities become overwhelmed by a large number of patients
needing hospitalisation, Bild newspaper reported.
He also urged hospitals to be ready to prepare medical
students for a possible role in caring for coronavirus patients.
Germany's states have agreed that public gatherings of more
than 100 people should not go ahead. Municipal elections on
Sunday in the southern state of Bavaria would go ahead.