Of staff came ahead of a government meeting to review the countrys coronavirus lockdown at the moment the chancellor of the country 16 regional leaders discussing proposals for the reopening of institutions including museums and places of worship as well as public areas such as playgrounds schools are already shut you will to reopen from next week were expecting a statement from chancellor merkel shortly meanwhile the head of germanys Public Health institute is urging people to remain cautious and warning that the pandemic is far from over. You unappointed me compendium it like this can only end when 60 to 70 percent of the population has been infected then we have a chance to stop the violence there according to our data the percentage of germans inflicted is still in the Single Digits so its clear this is a marathon but its not clear how long it will be until this marathon is. Well chancellor merkel is due to hold a News Conference to outline the results of todays deliberations very shortly well bring that to you live in the meantime we can hear from d. W. Political correspondent hans bronx. Ok. Nothing that. Give me one second im sure that these barriers hansbrough Political Correspondent welcome to talk us through some of the measures on the table. Well one of the things you mentioned already was religious services religious gatherings thats something thats been discussed and this gathering or this consultation today with the regional premiers was preceded this morning by what is called in germany the corona cabinet that is a Cabinet Committee and a Sub Committee of the German Cabinet which discussed which measures the federal government wants to propose to the regional leaders and these religious services are part of that proposal theyre also proposals that. Institutions such as museums Botanical Gardens certain kinds of public parks zoos those kinds of institutions could open again fairly soon obviously under the project was it that they maintain social distancing that they implemented some kind of hygiene. Regime in the various institutions theres also talk about how things are going to go on in schools in germany as you mentioned there has been a careful opening of some sections of schools in various parts of the country and the discussion is now when a more. Substantial reopening of schools might happen then theres also discussions about for instance things such as the bundesliga in other words when soccer might resume soccer games these would be games without public or without participation of the public you know its the gains in empty stadiums and also theres discussions about what apps might be used in future in order to trace people who are infected in germany so its a whole gamut of measures that is being and discussed and give us a sense of the balancing act the chancellor and regional leaders have to perform. Well lets take for instance the issue of restaurants this is something that is very very crucial to a lot of employees a lot of people are unemployed in the Hospitality Industry at the moment and the pressure is very high. Not only from people working in that industry but obviously from the public as well its summer Time Starting here everyone is thinking about being outside restaurants are closed so theres a lot of social and economic pressure to reopen restaurants another area where things are very difficult is in schooling theres a recent report by a Prominent German varada just that children could in fact be as infectious as adults are if that were the case reopening schools might be very risky so these kinds of balancing acts are. How shall i Say Something that is daily bread as it were for protections all over the world at the moment and something out these politicians here in germany have been considering as well today and one of the things about the way the germany works is often quite confusing for people is something can be decided by the chancellor and the regional leaders but the implementation will differ depending on where you are absolutely that there is a very federal structure to all of this germany has not in fact implemented a central state of emergency as it were the legal basis for all of these measures is. A law against infections against pandemics and that has to be implemented regionally and locally so there are differences from the federal state or federal state there are 16 of those in germany but even the local authorities can take decisions on their own on these matters and there have been several cities in germany for instance who imposed an obligation to wear a mask in public long before this was all this was implemented anywhere else in germany so it gets very confusing and in fact its very its almost impossible to maintain to kind of remember all the details from all the various areas in germany for one person and i will leave it that finale. Will talk again once the chancellor has spoken little correspondent and sprigs. Well i say that the chancellor is due to hold a News Conference to outline the results of todays deliberations and well bring that to you here live in the meantime we can. Lets just bury now since the corona Virus Outbreak began the advice has been to stay home and stay and save lives for some people this is where they are the most vulnerable to Domestic Violence agency say that surging numbers of abuse cases agoing checked because restrictions on physical distancing when victims especially children have no one to turn to. The look down for many means living on top of each other no playgrounds for Young Children schools and day Centers Closed everyone is finding it stressful and its worse for families where Domestic Violence is already a problem agencies supporting women said tax are on the increase. We know from the cases were seeing that it nearly always affects women who have been subjected to long term violence by their partners and who now cannot get away because they have to stay at home. Its just as bad for the children as there are so few opportunities for them to get away from it. When police or social services are brought in it generally means theres been a serious incident social workers at one agency which helps young people are especially concerned. As its much quieter than usual and that is very worrying for his office or all thats because agencies cant make home visits at the moment and can only talk to families on the telephone its the same for doctors teachers and neighbors who would normally pick up on women or children being abused. This is extremely concerning schools and day centers often bring is in children in a place of a trust and is about any problems of course thats not happening at the moment its all. Not really here to complete their. Children subjected to Serious Violence may be placed under protection orders at berlins criminal Investigation Office its often the youngsters themselves who report the offenses. Most often starring in rows of we hear about most cases when the children if it did get a bit older. Juveniles often go to the Police Station we family members all call emergency numbers. But we also get reports from doctors and hospitals what were not getting at the moment are reports from schools and day centers of once. You toss. Restrictions on leaving home are often the trigger for violent outbursts. We know there are parents who resort to violence to stop their children going out of course that is not acceptable and the children themselves often go to the police it seems many families who are didnt really need help are using the corona restrictions as a pretext to break off communication. We fear that because of a coronavirus and the reduction in contact that it will be difficult to reestablish dialogue. They may not be possible for us to step in because some families have retreated into themselves but if you look from the scene. The authorities are appealing to everyone to be on the lookout for signs of Domestic Violence and if necessary to call the police. As a quick catch up of some of the latest developments in the corona virus pandemic in yemen has reported its 1st 2 deaths from coverage 19 the un says it fears the disease could be spreading undetected in the war torn country russia has recorded its highest daily increase in infections it now has more than 100000 confirmed cases south korea has reported no new domestic cases for the 1st time in 2 months and the Czech Republic says the spread of the virus is contained after 8 consecutive days a few with an 100 new cases. A brief look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world a u. S. Officials say a man has been arrested after opening fire on the Cuban Embassy in washington with or if you say an unidentified person fired shots in the early hours of thursday the countrys secret service is investigating no one was injured. That when traffic jams of up to 30 kilometers on the border between kenya and uganda because of mandatory coronavirus testing the controls were introduced after several kenyan Truck Drivers had tested positive drivers say theyve been no waiting in the tailbacks for days. South african antiapartheid veteran Dennis Goldberg has died at the age of 87. 00 he was involved in the armed resistance to the countrys white minority rule of was tried alongside Nelson Mandela and they were convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life in prison is to goldberg died as hes home near cape town hed been suffering from lung cancer. Germany has announced a ban on the iran backed Hezbollah Group and declared it a terrorist organization the move is in addition to a 2013 e. U. Ban on hezbollah as military faction and now includes all activities by its political when hezbollah is a shiite military and Political Group based in lebanon on one of this morning German Police took action against suspected supporters in 5 towns and cities. Early morning raids with dozens of police and special forces in cities across Germany Police searched mosques associations and private residences collecting evidence to be used for investigations into hezbollahs activities. And were searching for locations here in berlin annoyed her and following the ban on his blog the aim is to find out if theres a connection between these locations and hezbollah the organization which is now outlaw. Hezbollah doesnt have an official presence in germany but a network of associations is thought to provide Financial Support and deliver propaganda for the group while the groups military arm is classified as a terrorist organisation in the entire you most countries havent banned its political wing on thursday germany moved to do just that. It said it could not tolerate hezbollahs anti israel positions these are these are Party Members of this party and nothing more than despicable israel haters an anti semites people who not only call into question israels right to exist but also openly call for its destruction of. Questions regarding hezbollahs operations in germany arent new in the center the in the saga adopted a motion urging the government to outlaw all of hezbollahs activities in the country. Hezbollah supporters have repeatedly brandished the groups flag and used n. T. Israeli slogans at rallies the ban now allows oath already used to outlaw the use of hezbollah symbols at gatherings and on publications and the groups asses can now be confiscated. Israel and the u. S. Have welcomed germanys move to completely outlaw. The no hope that other European Countries will follow suit. Because like to a dramatic reduction in. Lines are in trouble as People Council holidays and businesses turn to Video Conferencing effort to improve its bottom line germanys largest so they started converting passenger aircraft into temporary cargo planes. The flight from lima to frankfurt took more than 13 hours the boeing 747 was the last rescue flight that looked tomsic carried out on behalf of the german government. On board flight 341 almost 280. 00 passengers who were happy to be back on german soil it was also a special flight for the crew because of the Coronavirus Crisis they werent looking forward to the end of their working day as they usually take off your game in court we will be working far less this month i just had this one flight it doesnt look like there will be much next month either we dont know how long this will last nobody does and of course we are worried. Look to answer has canceled 96 percent of all passenger flights the International Travel restrictions. And its now trying to get at least a few planes in the air. To do this technicians remove the seats. Large nets a stretch where the person just normally set this up us is now ready to transport boxes impossible as apheresis piling up in shipping companies warehouses because nearly every passenger plane also carries freight and since most liners have remained on the ground that freight is going nowhere. But a new plan for dumping a lot of phrases flown in the bellies of planes especially on transatlantic and long haul flights right now this capacity is absent from the market 90 percent of passenger aircraft have disappeared and their cargo holds are no longer available to us thats about 50 percent of total freight capacity up at the cape and. Less capacity means rising prices sending a kilogram of freight from china to germany now costs 5 times as much as it did before the pandemic thats why these repurposed passenger jets travel between china and frankfurt every day mostly carrying protective equipment to mosques similar special flights also go to munich. Its an ambivalent feeling under the circumstances its good that we can do our part to help but of course it would be much better of the receipts on board with passengers sitting in them and if possible but all those seats have been sold as a typical for. The additional cargo flights are only providing work for a few look times for employees its almost all flight attendants and most pilots are being followed and with the uncertainty over the airlines future. This is d. W. Well cross now to where germanys chancellor the chancellor Angela Merkel has been is just starting her remarks about her discussions with regional leaders today. In the wake of the corona. Demi which affects all citizens and all levels of our Federation Federal structure its a challenge for which we dont have any blueprint we dont have any historic experiences where theres pandemic and thanks to the work of scientists we are going through a learning curve every day and we have to do so and im very happy that these meetings take place on a regular basis every 2 weeks also with the help us to take a common approach is to take decisions in the sense of a shadow strategy but we are afraid of a country there are regional differences as a result of this and in you of regional differences this is going to be that case in a country like germany. Always but i believe its in the interest of citizens of german citizens that we have one strategy and one goal for germany with regards to our viewers depend on again id like to repeat this call come in we dont have any medication we dont have any vaccine against this virus and therefore the task will always be to slow down the spread of infection to such an extent that our Health System our hospital. Would be able to manage the number of severely ill corona patients so that each patient can receive the best possible medical care if. We were successful in achieving this goal so far over the last weeks we have achieved a lot together and id like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who wasnt. Both interesting contributed to this. Goal by either. Following the rules by executive accepting restrictions by putting the wellbeing of all above the well being of the individual and everybody was doing this id like to ask them to continue doing so but id like to extend my gratitude to all go. Joining the ramp up of our public life. And social life about it live. Thinking about how that could best happen and im very in impressed by. Just observing how concept on being developed by the individual industries by injuries fears of live concerts which Pay Attention to these various aspects that are decisive when it comes to fighting her own how to keep distance to protect themselves to wear masks whether at the workplace or public life and these. Careful and. Protection. For the protection of the workplace the idea. Of the ridges communities that we have witnessed on example for how the day to day life in the future can be designed. And there once these concepts have been do you grabbed it remains being the responsibility of policymakers to decide when things can start being ramped up again and these are difficult decisions there is no automatic rule in place where one follows the other automatically we always have to take a look at the end tire situation at the whole picture and its a huge responsibility for us to do everything within our power so as not to slide back into a more difficult phase but rather being able to advance step wise and we have done so successfully to slow down the dynamics of the spread of the fire is and this needs to be our underlying principle our guiding principle scientists of the signs organizations are leading science organizations keep repeating that we need to keep on working to. Further bring down the number of infected patients although it is already much lower than it used to be so the task will be to be able to track infection chains republic missed of services have done the Public Health services have done a lot for making that possible i would think if they stopped all of these services because much of our future lies in your hands and that is why we supported you and strengthened your easing of restrictions that have been put in place so far would need to people moving through the public spaces. Meeting more often would lead to in a city areas being filled with people again and we need to. Focus strongly on what an easing of Restrictions Means for our overarching goal that remains. Necessary that we keep social distance that we keep disciplined we. We stick to the hygiene rules in all of the measures we have to weigh the various values what does it mean in health care is what does. What does it mean in economic terms in social terms and all these various values have to be weighed carefully and short. Of infections get steeper again. Treasures and estate structures need to be positioned in such a manner that we would notice that early on that we got a Warning System in place so that we would be able to respond to such a changes early on so todays deliberations were an immediate start the 12. 00 to 14. 00 days which need it until we know what the easing of Restrictions Mean for infection. Chadians these period of 14 days will be over only by 6th of may that is where were going to meet again next week and this is also why weve took taken individual decisions today but particularly in the halls of last week were going to another more far reaching package today we focused on our commitment that major events will be banned under 31st of all were going to give more specific piece to that sports event is. Why in fast. Food clouds all these events are going to be banned for a longer period of time i want to thank the churches and religious communities who have submitted an excellent con and sat here its the responsibility of the states to respond to that but. Under the rules that word became Better Together with the religious communities. This is will be allowed again we also agreed on being able to. Open playgrounds again under certain conditions and we also agreed that cultural institutions like Museum Exhibition holds galleries morrill sides or would tend to gardens and zoos will also be able to be open again under certain conditions again on 6th of may give and then were going to take a look at the hands of the ministers of culture ministers of Youth Affairs and ministers of spalls are going to take a look at their concepts and then take a clear decision in which sequence and in which way Schools Day Care Centers will be able to be opened again. And how. The sports activities can take place we also talked about. That we need to give other industries the perspectives to the. Sponsor ministers be given the task. To divide up the plans and perspectives so afraid for a stepwise opening of tourism office. Restaurants and other cultural institutions on to the next meeting takes place after 6 of meeting provided that Infectious Disease allows for that we heard about the Unemployment Rate in month number of people working shorter hours we know that there are deep and strong Economic Impact to try to mitigate and cushion but insists spite of all that all that is connected with a lot of hardship for companies for certain part people for many other stakeholders therefore we are focusing on these aspects but im convinced that the interests of the economy of the industry and the interests of social contacts would be best served if we take a look at. Making sure that we can make step forward without having the need to take steps back again so therefore being cautious and sticking to the hygiene rules remains. Of the essence. Coolant and a sentimental translate corona keeps air is on our toes every day all policymakers in germany are thinking round the clock what the right path what the right point in time would be. Which topics we need to focus on and how we should tackle this largest challenge was ever since the 2nd world war what is positive is that the numbers on corona have stabilized i can take bavaria as an example we were the strongest affected state because of our situation geographical and in a situation we had increased rates of 2528 percent today we are at 0. 6 percent following the latest figures of the r. K. I. E. It is a stable value which makes us optimistic but there are concerns that remain of cause we do not know. Whats coming up as long as we dont have medication and facts yet there is always the threat of a 2nd wave of. Relapse in back into where we came from but so far we were lucky and we acted prudently and patients our citizens contributed greatly to getting able to get started lies but the early on and not. Activity as i wanted to make in germany did so too and. There are a lot of debates some debates which i find hard to understand that currently questions would be asked what is what was the impact of the lockdown what was the repercussion of the lockdown but id like to also hold asked a different question what would have been the impact if we wouldnt have taken that lockdown step what would happen in the nick of another in our country if we would havent acted no country hardly any country. In the world has acted differently and those who acted differently have to readjust and have to put up with a lot of dead damage our Health Systems which has been criticized in the past very often has withstood if successfully and that. The stress test in germany did so too distressed as it has been it is not over yet corona is a marathon we dont know how long the stretch ahead of us it is open to become stalled running and leans back and thats not possible for us we need to stay focused we need to Pay Attention to that question and to finding it in i answer the question now how should we move on with corona and we need to focus on Economic Issues but at the same time must not. Take a look at you must not forget to take a look at ask the questions. We had this debate about ethical question in italy who would be allowed to be written to get respiration and who would not be allowed to get that if we reach that situation in germany it wouldnt be the wrong step it is read lapse into a situation that we needed to get out of the 1st phase so we need to stay cautious but we dont lose sight of what is happening in germany where not stop it but we are responsible and that is where we need the advice of scientists. Likeness and ham on societies 3 of the most prestigious scientific organizations that work the world over if these 3. Organizations. Tell us that what germany of united has done was the right thing to do things that as our position in the country acquires a knowledge about viruses the virus is accumulating and it is growing and so we need to Work Together that engine in order to deepen our knowledge and also was the topic of today we had very. Matter of fact me profound discussions marked by high level responsibility but its important to make one thing clear we want to open perspectives give perspectives but we do. Not lose sight of what could happen if we act too fast if mistakes happen if we are overly hasty and stumbling over our own feet or shall i get my impression is that the chancellor that. Has been europe is observing germany with admiration and with surprises probably i mean. Theyre surprised how well things went to how well things develop but i understand every citizen who say he says id like to live and take on my own not