it's not just the german health minister sitting here today but the institute which is the government agency for disease control the robert carr institute's head is here professor. now you'll be aware of the fact that the german health minister has regularly. informed you about the results of the discussions with the institute and you will see that from week to week as things change and our system it's become clearer and we have new insight we keep you posted but it's important to know that once the virus has arrived and we do not have immunity in the population at all to this virus and yet there is no option for vaccination also no treatment option that a high percentage of experts say 60 to person or maybe 60 to 70 percent of the population will become in. vectored if this is the situation. and in the meantime we'll be working on treatment. since being aware of this fact and aware of the fact that there are. vulnerable groups of the populations people with existing ellis' older people who can have a more serious case of this virus if they catch it means that our approach has to be defined by ensuring that our health sys

change the trajectory of the pandemic here in germany the country's leading public health institution the robert costa institute says it has detected the 1st signs that the rise in corona virus cases might be leveling off and concerns that chancellor merkel may have caught the virus for they have been dispelled at least for now. tourist magnets like the brandenburg gate should be buzzing with locals and visitors but lockdown measures mean people are after those only for essential reasons like going to work shopping or walking the dog. but germany's robert costa institute says there's reason to be cautiously optimistic that the measures are working. for. the indian 2000 we are seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly but i will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on wednesday. with kind of a but i am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect which is very early because they've only been in place for a week. fondue. scenes like these from just last week i think of the past for now anyway chancellor merkel is in quarantine at home she's b

doing this on the level of the health ministers within europe but also the national health institutes like the robert carr institute. so we exchange ideas and work on common. approaches you can see on the robert cock interview there are a number of recommendations that were constantly updating so these recommendations are ones that we adapt as the situation unfolds in terms of who our contact person is how we should track how the virus has spread how we have to deal with people who might have the virus so these a systematic approaches based on our own analyses and then i was these of our colleagues in other countries and we exchange these ideas to get a best practice approach so slowing down the spread of the virus is something that we have been emphasizing for a number of weeks and that will continue to be the case depending on how long it will take it's likely to take months it might take years to spread through our country the longer it takes the better it is not me i can't emphasize that enough when we have a group that we know will have a very serious case of the virus if they're infected. and.

a computer simulation created by the robert cock institute shows what to expect comparisons reveal how the rate of infection varies from region to region. the central council of muslims in germany called for friday prayers to be canceled though it's not clear how many mosques compliant. and german rail has issued a statement saying they'll be no alteration. insta travel schedules for the time being. so here's a look at some more of the latest coronavirus developments the chinese city of will hand to ground 0 of this outbreak as reported just 5 new cases while no locally transmitted infections were reported for the rest of the country ukraine will halt all passenger flights early next week and also ban foreigners from entering the country for 2 weeks or the 50000000 people working in the travel and tourism sector could be at risk of losing their jobs as a top pandemic threatens to deal a major blow to the industry in the u.s. state of louisiana will delay its presidential primary due to fears of the virus making it the 1st state to so to do. chris of cobra has your date of business upda

covert 900 cases is rising rapidly here in germany the country is center for disease control robert institute has now stressed that millions of people could be infected if they do not follow the measures imposed by the federal and state governments on restricting daily life. let me make this very clear if we do not implement the program we have devised the measures we recommend which the german government has also adopted such as reducing contact between people for a few weeks and then it is possible that in 2 to 3 months we will have up to 10000000 infected people in germany. this would substantially overburden our health system our chief political correspondent linda crane is covering the story of melinda are people in germany largely following the measures prescribed by the government. it's a very mixed picture on the one hand 80 percent of germans say that they find the measures correct and that they think they're necessary and officially many many measures have been followed for example schools are shut most bars and restaurants are either closed or largely empty large events are being c

of course all of this comes of the back of those comments really that we've heard from the robert cock institute from the german chancellor angela merkel as well to avoid social contact wherever possible so we're also seeing more and more people working from home as well and of course that is set to increase as well with schools closing next week which of course has been an issue for many parents as well wondering how they're going to be able to stay at home and keep an income coming in but there are already plans in place social democrats for example demand legal change as well to ensure that parents who have to work at home are protected to these rather drastic measures that are being taken to the coronavirus. what is your experience being like i ask is you're sitting at home working from home it seems like yesterday friday in germany the switch was flipped and this finally got real for everyone. it really has become very real and you only have to pop out into the streets and yesterday the streets a very very quiet no matter what time you went it was however a very different story if you went

preexisting health conditions from the can directing contracting the virus meanwhile the robert costa institute for public health has released a computer simulation showing how the right of infections varies from region to region of the visual side the individual states should make decisions based on regional data. are joining me now is de w. 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 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 closed here thing as have been closed all moti

the head of the robert carr institute for public health pointed out that the speed at which the virus spreads would vary a lot throughout germany he said individual states should make decisions based on regional data i think you know 36 of us rushed on i think the most important thing to understand about this epidemic spreading through the country is that it doesn't just start in one place and advance evenly in one direction but as we know very well from flew over the decades particular regions are more highly affected. by. a computer simulation created by the robert cock institute shows what to expect comparisons reveal how the rate of infection varies from region to region. the central council of muslims in germany called for friday prayers to be canceled though it's not clear how many mosques complies. german rail has issued a statement saying they'll be no alterations to travel schedules for the time being . closures cancellations social distancing in just a matter of weeks maybe a matter of days coronavirus has changed every day life in fundamental ways and we turn now to reporte

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 explanations for that the 1st point is that germany got the virus later than italy which means that people who were. identifi

and those with preexisting health conditions from contracting the virus meanwhile the right robert institute for public health has released a computer simulation showing how the rate of infection varies from region to region. health officials say individual states should make decisions based on regional data. here's a look at more of the latest coronavirus developments the chinese city of ground 0 of the corona virus outbreak has reported just 5 new cases while no locally transmitted infections reported for the rest of the country ukraine will halt all passenger flights early next week and also banned foreigners from entering the country for 2 weeks more than 50000000 people working in the travel and tourism sector could be at risk of losing their jobs as the pandemic threatens to deal a major blow to the industry and the us state of louisiana will delay its presidential primary due to fears of the virus making it the 1st state in the us to do so. a brief look now at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of algeria's

and there is reason for cautious optimism here in germany the country's top public health institution the robert clark institute says the latest numbers suggest that the number of new infections is leveling off there are 29000 confirmed cases in germany 118 people have died. tourist mecca it's like the brandenburg gate should be buzzing with locals and visitors but lockdown measures mean people are after those only for essential reasons like going to work shopping oval king the dog. but germany's robert costa institute says there's reason to be cautiously optimistic that the measures are working. the indian trend we're seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly but i will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on wednesday definitive kind of a but i am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect which is very early because they've only been in place for a week. or 2 fondren scenes like these from just last week i think of the past for now anyway chancellor merkel is in quarantine at home she's been tested after contact with an infected doctor

control agency has raised its coronavirus risk assessment to high a spokesperson for the robert costa institute says stricter measures are necessary to contain the spread of the virus the berlin government is escalating its response foreign minister has warned against any unnecessary travel outside the country and he announced an unprecedented 50000000 euro operation to bring home all german citizens stranded abroad. ministry of foreign affairs has agreed on a unique program with commercial airlines which will bring back german travelers from particularly affected areas within the next few days but we are talking above all about iraq of the dominican republic the philippines egypt and the moldy cheese in coordination with us the airlines will make flights available for the. book right here all right our political correspondent hans front is following the german government's approach for us hi hans this sounds like a huge logistical operation i mean how many people are we talking about who are stuck and where will they be taken to we don't know exactly how many they are the foreign minister was

she said the country is facing its biggest challenge since the 2nd to world war germany's robert cock institute says the number of confirmed cases has climbed by almost 321-1000 within the space of 24 hours i am addressing you today in this unusual manner because i want to tell you what is guiding me as chancellor and all of my colleagues in the government at this time. that is part of an open democracy that we explain our political decisions and make them transparent that we do all we can to justify and communicate her actions so that they are understandable. because. i truly believe that we will succeed in the task before us so long as all the citizens of this country understand that it is also their task. while germany is stepping up preparations to avoid the kinds of scenes that have been playing out in the hospitals of northern italy to get us been looking at the measures being taken in berlin to ensure a large number of patients can be treated if and when the situation arises. a new hospital is being arrested at an exhibition center in berlin one of germany's latest measures to tackle a p

we've been getting one of our regular briefings from the public health authority here the robert cock institute and their head. of. currently at the moment they believe that the exponential growth curve the number of people that are getting this virus and then passing it on to others you pass it on to others you pass it on to others well that that is kind of leveling out at the moment he said it was too early for real optimism about that but if this should continue until say whedon's day was the time limit he put on it then they would start saying that perhaps the exponential growth of this virus in germany would seem at least to be leveling out he stressed though the importance of testing people for this virus he said it was really important to know just who had it and who didn't in fact there's been an awful lot of tests carried out here in germany so far around 25000 confirmed cases of covert 19 in germany just under a 100 people succumb to that and have died from the virus so far what we've heard announced from angola merkel and from the government are strict new guidelines when it comes to

but germany's robert institute says there's reason to be cautiously optimistic that the measures are working. for. the indian 2000 we are seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly but i will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on wednesday. with kind of a but i am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect which is very early because they've only been in place for a week. to find. scenes like these from just last week i think of the past for now anyway chancellor merkel is in quarantine at home she's been tested after contact with an infected doctor that test came back negative but she'll be tested regularly in the coming days meanwhile she's telling where king finance minister all of scholtz will be covering some of her duties of these devices the chancellor has asked me to speak for her in the ponder start on wednesday and we will manage this . however i believe that this is a very important sign that this infection can hit every one of us we are very vulnerable as human beings and you know one is protected from this. after

number of only $181.00 deaths but even with a comparatively low death toll president of germany's robert institute the national agency for disease control and prevention said that it's preparing for the worse. as of march 25th 31554 code 19 cases have been confirmed the number of cases rose by 4100 it needs comparison to the previous day we're talking about the cases that have been submitted electronically through the system of the rubber coach institute the death toll has risen to 14935 more than the previous days the actual number is 35 cases per 100000 citizens in germany right now as expected the number of cases has been growing and we are standing just at the beginning of an epidemic the numbers are growing now i want to show you where we're struction is have been tougher in some countries over others with nearly one 3rd of the world's population under some constraints there's india one of the latest to extend a national lockdown joining italy france spain belgium the u.k. and new zealand than china iran the united states canada germany austria portugal russia australia and even israel all pa

travelers has been labeled a risk area for the coronavirus that designation comes from the robert cough institute a public health monitor for the german government. one of the criteria is of course the number of infections there but there's also the speed of infection spreading in certain regions and an important criterion is how many infections have spread out of that area to other countries. because. the institute's recommended measures to counter the virus have been met with criticism according to some hospitals the quarantine recommendations aren't practical the berlin shot to take clinic is not implementing the recommendations to the letter. in brussels where precaution has replaced the handshake with the elbow european health ministers met to discuss the coronavirus the number of cases has been rising throughout the e.u. the ministers agreed on more money to quell the outbreak better information sharing and strict rules for distributing protective gear. we can't let money determine what we need so urgently for our healthcare providers in order to protect them and i would also like to see mo

message don't panic but the signal is clear the situation is serious the president of the robert koch institute estimates that 2 thirds of the german population could become infected and that the number of serious cases will increase. government offices mayors and hospitals have to prepare for more patients. at the beginning of this epidemic so they need to set up their plans and strategies to deal with as many of these patients as possible. time is of the essence now the sooner preparations are made the more effectively hospitals will be able to manage the surge in infections with their existing capacity. you know at that news conference yesterday chancellor merkel herself pointed out in her own words that if things don't change 60 to 70 percent of the population could be infected by the corona virus how are people reacting to that i think it is beginning to dawn on germans that the virus really is here to stay for a long time there was a thought we don't really have high numbers so maybe it's not as serious as in other countries but now people are beginning to change their behavior that made

destinations but after a number of german tourists returned from the region with the coronavirus the robert cock institute issued a warning against travelling there clearly from the tuesday un so one of the criteria is of course the number of infections there but there's also the speed of infection spreading in certain regions and an important criterion is how many infections have spread out of that area to other countries interests who is in austin receive under the cardinal but the institute's guidelines to counter the virus are being criticized some hospitals say the quarantine measures are too extensive and impractical berlin's shepley to clinic for instance is not strictly adhering to their recommendations. in brussels where elbow bombs have replaced handshakes european health ministers met to discuss the virus the number of cases has been rising throughout the e.u. the ministers agreed on more money to quell the outbreak that are information sharing and strict rules for distributing protective gear and what impious and we can't let money determine what we need so urgently for health care providers i

infection or a symbol in is growing maybe this extra capacity might not even be enough here at the robert cole institute an ever increasing number of positive cases are being tallied up just how long can the virus be kept under control the answer is sobering . again from yahveh these upon the life we're talking about years of this pandemic might take to go once around the world you see pandemics traveling waves we know that's how quick these waves are a when these waves that we're speaking about come from west 60 to 70 percent of the people around the world become infected that will take years in my view i'd say 2 years from us for you are a crisis is coming our way but we've been forewarned that makes it easier says the head of the heart of her clinic in berlin huddled masses says they're well prepared that recently received 10 extra respirators and the hospital could increase its capacity 3 fold if things got really bad for the more he's also ready his staff. we've also retrained the new statistics and doctors from other specialties who haven't done intensive care duties for a long time now so that we

elderly and those with preexisting health conditions from contracting the virus meanwhile the robert costa institute for public health has released a computer simulation showing how the rate of infection varies from region to region health officials say individual states should make decisions based on regional data. now here's a look at more of the latest coronavirus developments guatemala is including the united states and canada in a ban on arrivals from countries from more countries more heavily affected by the corona virus outbreak in central american country are reported its 1st case of the virus on friday mexico's health ministry has registered a rise in the number of confirmed corona virus cases jumping from 26 just 15 from just 15 a day earlier panama's tally has risen to 36 including 3 foreigners south korea has for the 2nd day in a row reported more recoveries from the corona virus than it has new infections razor. hopes that asia's biggest epidemic outside mainland china may be slowing and as a precaution against the virus new zealand has cancelled a national remembrance service marking t

message don't panic but the signal is clear the situation is serious the president of the robert koch institute estimates that 2 thirds of the german population could become infected and that the number of serious cases will increase. government offices mayors and hospitals have to prepare for more patients. were at the beginning of this epidemic so they need to set up their plans and strategies to deal with as many of these patients as possible. time is of the essence now the sooner the preparations are made the more effectively hospitals will be able to manage the certain infections with their existing capacity. and for all the latest on the coronavirus including information about what to do if you think you may be infected is that our website. it's time now for a brief look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. students in chile have clashed with police in anti-government protests the students were participating in a day of civil disobedience to mark the 2nd anniversary of president sebastian pinera entry into office wednesday also marks 30 years since the end of th

message don't panic but the signal is clear the situation is serious the president of the robert koch institute estimates that 2 thirds of the german population could become infected and that the number of serious cases will increase. government offices mayors and hospitals have to prepare for more patients. were at the beginning of this epidemic so they need to set up their plans and strategies to deal with as many of these patients as possible. time is of the essence now the sooner preparations are made the more effectively hospitals will be able to manage the certain infections with their existing capacity. and for all the latest information on the corona virus including what to do if you think you might be infected visit our website at. bernie sanders has dashed speculation that he might end his campaign for the democratic presidential nomination after a series of defeats in the primaries against his moderate rival joe biden speaking to reporters on wednesday sanders confirmed he will remain in the race despite pressure to withdraw for the sake of party unity and said he believes the majori

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 the olympic games that we have to postpone the olympic and paralympic games so talk you were 2022 the year or 2020 year one with the aim to her feet there are the lat

message don't panic but the signal is clear the situation is serious the president of the robert koch institute estimates that 2 thirds of the german population could become infected and that the number of serious cases will increase. government offices mayors and hospitals have to prepare for more patients. at the beginning of this epidemic so they need to set up their plans and strategies to deal with as many of these patients as possible but. time is of the essence now the sooner the preparations are made the more effectively hospitals will be able to manage the certain infections with their existing capacities let's get the latest political correspondent simon young. welcome simon what else did the chancellor have to say today. well the chancellor i think was making an appeal for solidarity and common sense she was saying that germany was well placed to deal with this with this corona virus and she said the economy is in good shape that's good because it means i can give assistance to businesses but they can also take the emergency measures that are needed for instance making sure that hosp

country's disease control agency has raised its coronavirus risk assessment too high the robert costa institute says stricter measures are necessary to contain the spread of the virus 98000 cases are confirmed to germany is not under general lockdown but appeals for people to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact are having an effect t.w. political correspondent sun media reports there's a curious calm in the normally pulsating heart of berlin on tuesday morning far fewer people than usual were out in about in the german capital. foreign minister heiko must announced another unprecedented measure a travel warning for the entire planet he said no unnecessary trips should be made in addition the government will provide $50000000.00 euros so german citizens currently abroad can come home. also i think i'm the ministry of foreign affairs has agreed on a unique program with commercial airlines which will bring back german travelers from particularly affected areas within the next few days but we are talking above all about iraq oh the dominican republic the philippines egypt and the mall deaves in

elderly and those with preexisting health conditions from contracting the virus meanwhile the robert costa institute for public health has released a computer simulation showing how the rate of infection varies from region to region health officials say individual states should make decisions based on regional data. here's a look at more of the latest coronavirus developments guatemala is banning arrivals from countries heavily affected by the corona virus outbreak that now includes the u.s. and canada it comes after water moller reported its 1st case of the virus on friday mexico's health ministry says the number of. i'm cases of the virus has jumped to 26 from just 15 a day earlier meanwhile panama's tally has risen to 36 south korea has for the 2nd day in a row reported more recoveries from the recurring a virus than it has new infections saudi arabia is suspending international flights for 2 weeks starting on sunday to curb the viruses spread and. a brief look now at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of algeria's cap

with the corona virus merkel's cell faisel lation comes as germany's leading public health institution the robert costa institute says it has detected the 1st signs that the rise in the corona virus might be leveling off in germany chance americal who was 65 that went into quarantine after being vaccinated against a different fire. by a doctor who later tested positive medical spokesman says she will now be tested daily her last act before going into quarantine was to announce sweeping restrictions on freedom of movement and social interaction. angle americal about to announce the most severe restrictions on freedom of movement seen in germany since world war 2 the corona virus continues to spread rapidly convincing the chancellor that further containment measures are needed so far it had largely been left to states and municipalities to curb the contagion creating a patchwork of rules and guidelines the new measures will be rolled out across germany. today. we have discussed today how our counter measures are working we have no vaccine and we have no drug against the disease all we have firstly

with a corona virus merkel's cell faisel lation comes as germany's leading public health institution the robert costa institute says it has detected the 1st signs that the rise in the corona virus might be leveling off in germany now chancellor merkel who is $65.00 went into quarantine after being vaccinated against different virus by a doctor who later tested positive medical spokesman says she will now be tested daily her last act before going into quarantine was to announce sweeping restrictions on freedom of movement and social interaction. it's an unusual sight. brandenburg gate deserted in the middle of the day. it's a similar picture elsewhere in the german capital as people start heeding the call to stay indoors areas normally bustling almost empty but experts say the decision by many to stay at home could be impacting the number of infections you're. in and we're seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly schools but i will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on wednesday but i'm optimistic that the measures are already having an effect. which

thing from the head of germany's public health institute the robert cock institute now. he said as it stood at the moment the exponential growth curve that's the way in which the virus grows and that that seems to be leveling out right now he did go on to say it was too soon for real optimism about that but if i continue through to say wednesday then they would be looking at it as something particularly positive he also said the testing is crucial he also pointed out one interesting fact that's come out from 'd this testing is that the the average. in fact 57 percent of those who've tested positive here in germany have been 45 year old men so that's kind of different from other countries that we've seen where it seems to have affected the elderly or all those with underlying health conditions now. so far around $25000.00 cases of being confirmed in germany with just under $100.00 deaths confirmed what we have heard coming out from the government are new well strict guidelines strict instructions when it comes to social isolating often in public people are only allowed to