Germany closes shops, schools as coronavirus deaths hit new record

German officials put in place new lockdown measures on Wednesday as coronavirus case numbers and deaths from the virus have surged in recent weeks.

The Associated Press reported that under the new restrictions, in-person learning at schools is canceled until the Christmas holiday while private, in-home gatherings are being limited to two household groups of no more than five people.

Essential businesses can remain open, but many shops and other businesses are closed under the restrictions, which are expected to last until Jan. 10. Chancellor Angela Merkel initially announced the measures over the weekend, according to news outlets.

Germany’s newest lockdown measures come as the country reported more than 27,000 new cases of the virus on Tuesday, one of its highest single-day totals, and more than 23,400 have died from the virus. A previous daily record for COVID-19 deaths set Friday was also broken Wednesday.

“The measures which we began on November 2 have not been enough,” Merkel said in a statement, according to German broadcaster Deustche Welle.

“The health system is under heavy strain and our aim has always been to avoid an overloading of the health care system,” the chancellor added.

Germany’s newest restrictions go into effect a day after it was reported that an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, Sgt. Setariki Korovakaturaga, died in Germany while en route to the hospital while suffering from COVID-19. He is the second active-duty service member to die from the virus.