winning time and flattening that curve to minimize the spread of 90 kate thank you so much that was our political correspondent kate brady . well there is some hopeful news here in germany the country's main public health institution the robert institute says there are signs that the rise in new coronavirus infections in germany is leveling all fold oh it will still be some days yet before the trend can be confirmed germany has had a remarkably low mortality rate compared to other places despite a relatively high number of confirmed cases with nearly 25000 infections reported up to today just 94 people are confirmed to have died so far that compares with almost 60000 cases and more than 5000 deaths in italy it's a prominent experts here are struggling to explain. it so go straight over to our science correspondent fabienne schmidt science how can we explain the fact that germany appears to have a lower corona virus mortality rate than other countries. yes it's very interesting christian germany it's about 0.3 at this point at this point we have to stress in italy it's roughly 7 or even higher now it's different explanati

winning time and flattening that curve to minimize the spread of 90 kate thank you so much that was our political correspondent kate brady in while in italy authorities said on sunday that a further 651 people have died from the corona virus that's fewer than saturday's record number of deaths but still the 2nd worst day so for italy is close non-essential businesses to try to control the break and help is on the way doctors from cuba and medical supplies from russia have been dispatched to help support the overwhelmed medical system. and eerie sight that's now the norm in many italian cities rome's piazza vonetta see a practically deserted apart from police cars and military vehicles rules confining italians to their homes were tightened even further the prime minister announced all public offices building sites and businesses would close unless they are essential to keeping the country's supply chain going. we're sure you're dozing sacrifices that today can look like a step behind will allow us tomorrow to run and to come back soon into our factories. into our offices in trust squares into the arms of relatives and fri

joining me now is dead i believe political correspondent kate brady kate which measures have been taken exactly. well as you say the measures that are being recommended around germany right now come from the top but actually germany is of course a federal system so what we're seeing actually is a very slow but steady trickle of the various measures across the country right now different states moving at different speeds but one of the biggest changes that we've seen in the last 24 hours or so is the number of schools that are expected to close as of next week many states saying that schools and universities will be closed until the end of the easter holidays and also if you just look a bit closer to home here in berlin as well now we have museums close here theaters have been closed all most for most of last week actually and that's expected to continue for the forseeable future so of course over the coming week we are expecting every part of daily life here in germany really to be affected and of course all of this comes off the back of those comments really that we've heard from the r

kate brady kate i'm going to call is now at home in corinth tina what does this mean for her and her ability to govern. well so far we know that she will be continuing to at least as much as possible from what now the cabinet meeting the usual monday cabinet meeting will be taking place today and she will be participating most likely via video by a telephone conference call but the idea is that it will very much be business as usual here of course as still constant changes here in germany to be dealt with possible new measures later this week but particularly when it comes to financial aid as well here in germany we're expecting to see a supplementary budget come out this week of up to $156000000000.00 euros that would be around 43 percent of germany's normal budget so there's still a lot to be done here in germany and of course and america will be trying to participate in as much of that as possible while she remains at home in south korea . when will we find out kate whether the chance actually has been 19. well all we know so far is that the government spokesperson stephens i but actually said yesterday that america will be tested regularly in the coming days but so far we don't yet have. a test result but of course that will be published and made public a soon as we have it well just before it was announced the chancellor was going into quarantine she announced new restrictions on movement and social interaction tell us more about those restrictions. well one of the biggest new measures is that groups of more than 2 people are now banned in germany now excluded from that new measure families and people that you might live with in a house for example but this is a big measure that's being implemented nationwide today now people are however still allowed to travel to the grocery stores to work if they can prove they're on their way to help someone for example but of course this is also being implemented in different ways around the country as well

political correspondent kate brady welcome kate so walk us through what these gigantic sums of a mean for germany. well phil basically it was a very significant move yesterday for germany the government rather the bundestag the parliament should i say voted effectively to suspend germany's debt break policy or block because a row has come to be known here in germany and effectively that means that the german government can now take on new debt and as we heard their own report that's to the tune of some 156000000000 euros now of course to put that into perspective that's about a 3rd almost a 3rd of the entire german budget for this year but this $156000000000.00 euros is actually part of a much bigger financial aid package which is also being agreed by the governments and that's amounts to some so 750000000000 euros in that as we heard there again in the report this is to support all kinds of large businesses small businesses self employed will see the welfare payments also relaxed and people for example who are struggling to pay rent right now and their bills will also be supported so

kate brady and she joins us now for more on the story hi kate good to see you you've been out and about as we saw there talking to people in berlin at a safe distance of course what strikes you most from what you've seen and heard there. well yesterday really was a mixed bag of reactions out in but then of course you could see from the report there that many people westall travelling were still trying to go about their daily lives as much as possible particularly people who are working from home people still for questioning cafes and restaurants as well but even there only some cafes and restaurants for example were implementing this recommendation that customers are kept 1.5 mi says a pause of course these measures that were announced last night could change daily life significantly now of course we know that local offices police officers are actually out on the streets today as well making sure that people are following these regulations so some of the scenes that we saw of people especially children playing at playgrounds for example that is simply no longer allowed and so things are changing quickly here in berlin but the mood is very divided some people still saying that the measures and the decisions being made by the government here are over the top while other people taken a much more strict approach of making sure that they're avoiding contact with other people and increasing social distancing wherever possible. meanwhile keep the number of reported cases does continue to go up here in germany how available is testing at this point. well this is a complicated issue in germany of course more and more people are requesting to be tested in the world health organization as well has recommended that all suspected cases are tested but here in germany the robot institute for public health has advised that for example symptoms simply like a fever and cold like flu symptoms simply aren't enough to warrant to have a test instead you will need to have been in contact for example with someone with a confirmed case of corona virus or have recently been to a 2 a risk area high risk area like italy. of course there are calls crease testing and we've already seen a similar methods from those in south korea for example implemented in a small town in the west some locals were able to pull up in their car and have a mouth swab taken from for testing something which has been very well warmly welcomed in the area with many people taking the opportunity at the moment as you were saying with hans as well generally the health system here is really being put under strain many hospitals already struggling more than others so of course this is why it's even more important that people are following these measures and following this advice to increase social distancing where possible and avoid unnecessary travel and social contact with other people to hope for the stop or slow down the spread of the coded 1000 virus. kate brady reporting for us there kate good to talk to you. all the latest victim of the coronavirus is volkswagen the car a german car giant is halting production of most of its german and european plants this after the pandemic has interrupted supply chains and made it necessary to protect workers and we'll have more on the company's announcement in just a few minutes. france is going into a nationwide lockdown today president a man on my car says the country is facing a public health war and that it will take on all out mobilization to slow the spread of the corona virus so far 148 people in france have died and there are more than 6600 infections and the burden on the country's health system is increasing on the frontline the caregivers university hospital when patients arrive was lung problems they're taken to a special unit but it's also important to keep the medical stuff healthy. priority is really to protect ourselves we use protective closing where we are with a patients. the eme

kate brady because kate you were there when the news broke of this horrifying attack how was the town coping now but of course the town is still in very much in a state of shock and certainly of course 2 weeks ago today that the attack happened and this is taken some time to sink in and about 15000 people are actually set to turn out on the streets of hanau this evening so that they can watch this memorial live on huge screens that have been set up and of course that's very important and it's part of the message really the locals to her now we're trying to send in the days following this attack is that they remain united and it was about coming together united in a sign of solidarity against hate against far right extremism and showing that they remain united as a multicultural town and we're showing a live pictures now from the memorial service which will get underway momentarily but in the meantime kate the attack has been described by some as a wakeup call for this country germany what has changed in the meantime it's just been 2 weeks understand but still has the government implemented new measures well already at the end of last year we saw a draft of new measures coming in with the government announcing that there would be $600.00 new roles divided between the german and german criminal police office and also some for domestic intelligence the domestic intelligence agency. mainly to focus on networks far right extremist networks instead of focusing just on the signaller people but of course this issue of fall right extremist violence has been simmering for some time now because this. a shooting in hanau just 2 weeks ago the deadly shooting was the 3rd deadly fall right extremist attack within less than a year of course you'll remember maybe just last june we saw the shooting and killing of a local politician votto live could who had advocated rights for refugees he'd voice on sev

kate's brady she's reporting in berlin for us kate's i was out on the streets here yesterday and really did seem like business as usual now though we're seeing these strict measures in berlin is it still the case are people taking this seriously now. certainly there's been a huge shift in the last 2448 hours here particularly in the german capital of course yesterday we saw the latest measures brought in the closure of bars and clubs here in berlin of course something that the german capital is very famous for if not infamous for many tourists flocking here every year to get a slice of birdland nightlife those have now been closed until mid april and of course by choose day all day and all schools and universities will be closed here as well with many of the german states taking similar measures so we'll see a little more people as well a lot more parents working from home which of course has its own knock on effects some people are being excluded from that and being offered emergency childcare for example if they work in the health care service as well here in germany which of course is being put under a lot of strain right now ok we've got about 30 seconds i want to ask you given the situation in italy and spain is germany preparing for something maybe a bigger walk down than what we've already seen. well certainly if you compare the measures to this time last week i know like many other people i was out enjoying the weekend but maybe will stay at home today and the situation is developing so quickly right now and as i mentioned one of the biggest concerns right now is the health care system and so that is definitely still on the cards that we could see a situation developing like spain like italy that is certainly not off the cards and already on the german health minister has been reaching out to the health service saying that even retired doctors could be pilled if pulled into support the health care system is kate brady there in berlin on call us and i'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. each the battle is my story. of the people who planned me. dedicated.

kate brady with the latest on the story hi kate what does this mean that the chancers going into quarantine how will this affect her ability to govern. well so for us i mean we know that machall has moved most of her meetings and conferences to video calls over the next couple of weeks in what should be required to stay in quarantine harlem of course as you said as we heard there in the report sorry she is leading by example but a lot of business it's a case rating of business as usual she is trying to continue and take part in as many meetings as possible and of course there are a lot of issues to be dealt with at the moment possible increases and measures in the coming weeks even and of course today we also saw the usual cabinet meeting as well which she took part in via a video call so she is trying to continue her work as chancellor as much as possible while still remaining at home of course we haven't yet got the test results either the german government spokesperson stefan ziba said that the chancellor will be tested regularly in the coming days and of course the public will be informed over a result as soon as that. kate meanwhile germany's public health institute says there are signs that the rise in new corona virus infections in germany could be leveling off let's listen to that you're. seeing signs that the exponential growth is flattening off slightly from school. but i will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on wednesday. but i am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect which is very early because they have only been in place for a week. or a kid so how would that news possibly affect policy i mean could we see some of the restrictions that are currently in place actually relaxed. certainly unclear as to how quickly that might change policy but it's very unlikely that we'll see a change within the next couple of weeks mean as we heard there these are strict have now only been in place for a week we saw those heightened just yesterday so it's very unlikely that we're about to see a turnaround of course should those measures be suddenly lifted we could indeed see poc

kate brady who's at the bundestag in bath and welcome kate to talk us through what's being decided today. well the focus of a phil is very much on the infamous german reich now usually i would this is actually in shrine to into the german constitution and this prevents the german government from taking on new debt up to a limit of no point 35 percent of economic output so most of change of course here today in germany and the parliament is expected to vote places today on an exception rule and emergency rule which will allow the government to take on debt and we're expecting to see figures of some 156000000000 euros of new debt being taken on by the german government now this is of course is in response to the coronavirus and on top of that there is an actually a separate financial aid package already prepared of 500000000000 euros to help bail out big business is another 50000000000 euros to small businesses and also on top of that to the labor ministry for example as well is also easing access to welfare payments and so people who are perhaps struggling as well to pay their rent or pay their bills right now as a result of luck loss of income sorry they too will be protected and it will be ensured that they will not be evicted so a lot of people covered by these financial measures and clearly today's business will it's far from business as usual. so they are of course 1st and foremost the german chancellor angela merkel i will not be attending to day taking to the floor in her in her place is the finest chancellor schultz and only every 3rd seat in parliament is being taken today many m.p.'s upstairs watching the parliamentary debates from the office right now will come down later to cast their ballots in in vote in boxes which won't actually be on the floor in the assembly but outside the assembly today sir there are also a lot of m.p.'s absences they are the who are suffering from coronavirus themselves or are in self quarantine but the vote today is expected to get a majority on the graphs and briefly kate how successful has germany been at flattening be infection. well there has been some cautious optimism coming from the robert cock institute for public health this week but there are still an awful number of new cases being confirmed here in germany almost 33000 cases here now but only $156.00 deaths $156.00 nonetheless but this is something that health experts are still looking into as the mortality rate is rather low compared to neighboring european countries to talk to you thanks for that political correspondent kate brady. well the world of sports has been reacting to the perspired months of the tokyo olympics to next year most have welcomed the decision although it will create big problems for sporting shuttles the postponement follows months of debate and pressure from athletes around the world. the tokyo olympics are off the decision came suddenly but was not unexpected after weeks of debate and speculation in order to safeguard the health of fleets and everybody involved in th

kate brady who has been following the situation in germany kate the measures imposed are they sufficient are they effective. well so new there was the murmurs at least of some cautious optimism earlier this week from the robot cooking for public health here that indeed that curve may be flattening but right now it is indeed too early to say exactly what effect these measures are having now of course they have being officially in place these closures of nonessential shops for example is in the ban on logic gatherings for for almost a week now and we had just there they're going to be in place now until april 20th and there is still the concern as well that there are many cases here in germany that still a no no we also heard just at the end of this week from the health minister on announcing that germany plans to increase its testing as well in the coming weeks at the moment or rather in the last week there was somewhere around half a 1000000 tests carried out in a week and the plan is to hope that to somewhere to around a 1000000 mark per week so of course we could see a spike in cases here and health experts have said that we could still be experiencing the calm before the storm here in germany but of course the main aim right now is to keep the situation stable but of course the number of cases is still continuing to rise here in germany. you know as you're saying so far people seem to be sticking to the rules but look the weather is getting better we're getting these longer days people may be tempted to go after this long winter do you think they'll be able to hold out. well that certainly does seem to be the case today police local authorities were out in force and more so than in previous days today worried of course that many people might be tempted to go outside now that we've had woman temperatures hand only but across the country and just around the corner from me hey actually police actually had to clear a gathering of some 150 people so clearly you know everyone is still a daring to those matches and there's going to have to be a lot of will put in place in coming weeks as we've heard previously from the chancellor as well she did say that all of these initial measures were implemented . to basically behave themselves stay at home follow these regulations the quicker we can flatten the curve the quicker we can get back to normal life so of course if people are still refusing to a day to these clearly not going to be as effective as one might hope ok political correspondent kate brady for us there thanks for. while germans are coming to terms with restrictions on public life their french neighbors are struggling with even tougher isolette isolation measures in place there france has been under virtual lockdown since march 17th and on friday prime minister said the unprecedented peacetime restrictions on public life would remain in place until at least april 15th. and into the spring is in the air in paris but there's barely anyone out on the streets on the 12th day of the lockdown the french capital was largely deserted and most who had to be out weren't exactly comfortable about being the. who was going to have to go to work i get nervous when i use public transport i'm talking to you know without a musket but when i get on the metro a put on my mask and keep my distance. and i respect the advice we've been given because i'm not a scientist. police have been out in high numbers enforcing the lockdown they say they've issued more than 225000 fines for violati

let's bring in our political correspondent kate brady who has been following the situation here in germany kate so restrictions are to remain in place at least until april 20th the 1st almost glorious days of spring have arrived so i suppose the question is are people listening to politicians and following the rules. well it certainly seemed in berlin at least today that the rays of sunshine descended on the city certainly got the better of some people i mean previous days that throughout this week we have had cooler weather a lot of people following those rules working from home wherever possible and trying to keep that distance that magic distances that were of 1.5 to 2 meters from other people but today they did seem to be many more people out on the streets and even here in an eastern neighborhood just around the corner from me police actually had to clear a group of 150 people who had gathered on an area of graphics now that of course is problematic people the police also trying to encourage people to stay home wherever possible still allowed to go out and exercise families are to allowed

winning time and flattening that curve to minimize the spread of 90 kate thank you so much that was our political correspondent kate brady . and some hopeful news just coming in from germany's public health institute says that there are signs that the rise in new coronavirus infections in germany is leveling all the all but call institute says it's often mistake that measures taken including school closures and strict warnings against public gatherings are already having an effect but it will be some days yet before the trend can be confirmed. now the u.s. government is redoubling its efforts to halt the spread of the corona virus the country has more than 33000 confirmed cases now the 3rd highest number after china and italy new york city is a hot spot and it's mayor has warned that hospitals there are just 10 days away from running out of basic supplies several states including new york have already ordered citizens to stay at home. even the buzzing heart of manhattan has now gone quiet all nonessential businesses must stay closed and their workers must remain at home it's part of a stringent a set of rules coming into

kate brady is on the story for us has more kate what kind of impact could this ban have on seasonal workers on harvests and on the agriculture industry in general in the country. well of course or this could have a huge impact and as we heard in the report many farmers are already voicing their concerns some 300000 seasonal workers come to germany every year so now the big question is who is going to replace those people out in the fields now one alternative that we've heard already from the agriculture minister is perhaps that some students for example or people that are that are currently out of work as a result of coronavirus and businesses and workplaces being closed that they could fill some of those roles now there has already been a portal created where people can share that interest and some 16000 people have already said that they would be interested in full fill in filling some of these roles that are usually taken by seasonal workers but of course $16000.00 people is very very small when that's only about 5 percent of the 300000 that usually necessary here in germany of course another option as well that's being floated at the moment is the idea that asylum seekers who currently don't yet have their work permit that they too could perhaps take on some of these roles that the seasonal workers would usually have but of course the weather is on its way and fears are growing quickly that food is going to be left to rot which of course would have huge financial repercussions as well and let's not also forget i mean this ban on seasonal workers it's just one of the measures to try and stop the spread of the corona virus in germany kate bring us up to date on what the latest is on cases and testing in the country. well according to the john hopkins university the number of cases in germany has now surpassed 39 and a half 1000 and there's been more than 220 confirmed deaths here in germany of course one of the big questions that's been asked even now not only here in germany but abroad too is how the mortality rate is so relatively low here in germany specially compared to other nearby countries including italy and france and one explanation was reconfirms again today by one of germany's leading but religious christian person and he confirmed that some hard a 1000000 tests coronavirus tests were carried out in germany within the last week and he says that one of the reasons why the mortality rate seems to be so low is juta this high number of tests of course the more tests are being carried out the more number of positive cases uncovered meaning that the the death rate seems to be quite low but of course there are oth

kate brady who is standing by at the german bundestag in berlin so kate walk us through why this vote is so important. well this is so important because effectively it allows germany to suspend its rather infamous debt brite policy and in doing so allows the government then to take on new debts in this case to the tune of some one $156000000000.00 euros now and usually under this debt break policy the government each year is allowed to take on new debt amounting to no more the no point 35 percent of economic output so this is a massive economic financial to be that's being broken here in germany today and they knew debt comes on top of another financial aid package of some $750000000000.00 euro writers and so that is basically to act as a cushion against the economic impact of coronavirus here in germany so that will go towards bailing out big businesses making sure that small business is to a supported the self employed as well and we'll also see other measures being implemented as well so the access to welfare payments for example is also being relaxed and people who perhaps are struggling to pay their rent pay their bills right now and she's a loss of earnings because of coronavirus they too will be supported to make sure that no one is evicted so a lot of financial measures here today reiterated again that message that we heard from angela merkel just a few days ago that we will do here in germany everything possible and the coronavirus also having an impact on procedures during today's session tell us more . it certainly is of course politics still has to happen here in the capital but it's very much not business as usual here's a seat in parliament on every seat was taken today in the plenary assembly room and also there were 2 seats kept between each m.p. as well and when it comes to the vote as well the urns which is usually where the ballots thrown in by the m.p.'s they're being actually stationed away from the parliament floor today and of course there are also several m.p.'s missing from parliament today some of them have been infected by coronavirus themselves or the self quarantining and of course one of the most notable absences was a german chancellor herself and america and she was replaced a day by have vice chancellor and finance minister or life shorts how successful has germany been flattening be infection curve time when we look at the broader population. well of course we are still seeing an increase in the number of cases where native 33000 confirmed cases here in germany now and more than 150 deaths that said compared to other neighboring countries the numbers here in germany all looking rather the positive and there was some rather cautious optimism coming from the robert costa public health institute earlier this week with regards to what effect positive effect the measures might be having here in germany which have been put in place so we're looking at closures of schools closures of shops that onselling figured for example so many of those measures do seem to be being idea too and certainly they will be a reassessment of those in the coming weeks to see if they are indeed flattening the curve kate brady of the german parliament saying. lawmakers in the united states have now agreed to a 2 trillion dollars stimulus package democrats and republicans announced the deal shortly after midnight in washington among the items agreed adults could receive direct deposits of up to 1200 dollars 500 dollars for children the government will support small businesses with loans the tune of $367000000000.00 and hospitals will receive around $150000000000.00 in aid there will also likely be half a trillion dollars in guaranteed subsidized loans to large businesses. of president donald trump has said that he hopes americans will be back at work by easter but the world health organization is warning that the u.s. could become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic the outbreak in new york city is so severe that white house officials have called on anyone who has recently left the city to self isolate for 2 weeks more than 15000 cases have been confirmed in new york city and around 200 death

kate brady. you heard the president talking about responsibility. what did you make of what he had to say? kate: there were interesting elements in the speech. one thing that stood out was when he said this crime didn't happen by chance, that there was a back story to this of hate speech and exclusion and discrimimination against minoriy groups in germany. that was clearly criticism of this normalization of far-right rhetoric in germany in recent years, a swipe at the far-right afd party. it was interesting he stepped back from the comments he made after this attack as well saying rather symbolically this was an attack that hit us all. there was a lot of criticism particularly from the community in this town over the comments. although they understood what he meant, it was bad enough they also said while i was in the town it doesn't affect everyone. you don't know what it is like to be ostracized and to be proving your worth as a german. this was much at the center of his speech, the idea, issue in germany in germany about what it means to be german. brent: you cover the direct aftermath. we have heard time and time again this attack was a wake-up call for germany. what have you heard? how bad is the far-right extremist seen? -- scene? katehis was a wake-up call, germany has missed many alarms already. we had the killing, shooting and killing of a regional politician in june last year who was refugee and then the attempted anti-semitic attack in which two passersby were killed in an eastern city. we had the notorious national socialist underground murders and for years there have been concerns raised about the far-right infiltrating military, authorities in germany. there is an overall plan to get to the roots of these problems. there is a lot of work to be done which is going to take a lot more than a few commissions to get to what end of the day is a fundamental problem in germany. brent: it can't be done overnight. thank you. there was violence on greece's border to turkey. they repelled thousands of migrant trying to cross into greece. many of them are refugees fleeing war zones. last week, turkey's president clear the way for them to go to europe but they are fighting europe's gates are closed. reporter: hundreds of