The Chancellor also expressed the hope that “one or more vaccines will be available very soon”
German companies that were forced to stop working due to quarantine will also receive financial assistance in 2021. This was announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the new issue of the weekly podcast, which is distributed on Saturday.
She said that Germany had not borrowed for several years and had been able to create the right reserves in the budget. “We will be able to support everyone who has little or no income because of the necessary restrictions in November and December,” she said. “We will also be able to support the economy in the new year with a third aid package,” the Chancellor added without giving details.
Germany’s national debt is expected to increase by €179.8 billion in 2021 due to the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. This year’s debt is expected to be €218 billion, the largest in German history. Prior to this, the country had a deficit-free budget for several years.
Merkel also expressed the hope that “one or more vaccines will be available very soon”. She called it “the light at the end of the tunnel”. “Then we will be able to defeat the virus step by step. But we have to be realistic, it won’t be a matter of months,” said the chancellor.
In Germany, a quarantine regime has been in place since 2 November – the second one. At least until the end of the year, bars, restaurants and other gastronomic establishments have closed, and only skillfully sold food and drinks are allowed. Fitness clubs, tattoo salons, swimming pools, beauty and massage studios, theatres, cinemas and concert halls have ceased to operate. Unlike quarantine, which was in spring, kindergartens and schools, as well as hairdressing salons and shops were opened. A maximum of two households are allowed to meet in public places. Overnight stays in hotels are only allowed in cases of acute need, not for tourism purposes.