Berlin, December 13: Citing the "exponential" surge in COVID-19 cases, the government in Germany has announced another phase of strict lockdown. Beginning from Wednesday, December 16, all non-essential shops will remain closed. Schools and other educational institutions were also ordered to shut down from next week.

"Non-essential shops, schools to close in Germany from Wednesday to halt 'exponential growth' in virus infections," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, in an announcement issued on Sunday. South Africa Declares Second Wave of Coronavirus as Cases Surge.

The lockdown call came as a surprise, as most countries across Europe have begun relaxing the rules for the Holiday Season. The shutdown of non-essential shops in Germany will severely hurt the retailers, who were limping back towards normalcy after the pandemic jolt.

Update by AFP

As per the norms being formulated by the German government, miniscule relaxations would be allowed between December 24 and 26. While shops will remain closed, family get-togethers - including five adults and children - would be allowed for Christmas celebrations, local media reports said.

While the federal lockdown orders will come into effect from Wednesday, a number of German provinces including Bavaria, Saxony and Baden-Württemberg have already implemented lockdowns, including partial curfews to completely regulate the movement of people outside their residences.

Germany, along with most parts of Europe, has been hit by a second wave of the pandemic. The continent, along with the United States in North America, has again emerged as the hotspot of the global health crisis. On Friday, Germany reported the highest-ever spike so far with 29,875 cases in a single day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2020 04:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).