Germany announces end to most COVID restrictions on March 20

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s leaders have announced plans to end most of the country’s coronavirus restrictions by March 20. The decision coincided with moves by neighboring Austria and Switzerland to drop many of their virus curbs sooner. A three-step plan was endorsed Wednesday by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country’s 16 state governors as official figures show Germany’s COVID-19 infection rate beginning to drift downward. Scholz said “the peak has now probably been reached.” Germany saw infections caused by the omicron variant surge later than in several other European countries. Officials have attributed this to the restrictions that have been in place since December.