BERLIN—Coronavirus cases have now been confirmed in almost all of Germany’s 16 states, with only three states reporting no cases. Following Italy, Germany has the most cases of any country in Europe with a total of 196 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Robert Koch Institut, Germany’s center for disease control. More than half of the cases, 103, are in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous state.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said it’s up to local authorities to decide whether to cancel large events in an effort to prevent further spread of virus. “I’ve been reading that the federal minister is the one to request large events to be canceled, but the Infection Protection Act says the decision is in the hands of local authorities,” Spahn said on Monday.
In recent days, several events in Germany have been canceled, including the ITB in Berlin, the biggest tourism fair in the world, as well as a major book fair in Leipzig. In western Germany as well as in Berlin, several schools and daycare centers have been closed, some for weeks, after staff members tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The virus reached the German capital on March 1. At the Charité university clinic, the first coronavirus patient in Berlin is being treated in isolation. Health officials say the 22-year-old man was in contact with at least 60 people, all of whom are being tested.
Some experts have criticized the hospital over its handling of the case. Hospital staff initially focused on neurological tests because his symptoms did not point to coronavirus. The man was sent home soon shortly after only to be placed in isolation later when the coronavirus test came back positive.
“He had completely different symptoms that did not point to coronavirus, but according to our double diagnoses, testing all patients for the past week, we discovered it,” said Dr. Ulrich Frei, chief medical officer at the Charité.
The hospital has set up a pandemic response plan to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
At a meeting on migration on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was refused a handshake by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. He had previously told reporters he had stopped offering handshakes amid the outbreak.
