German Lockdown Loopholes Criticized as Deaths Hit New High

The head of the Robert Koch Institute, German national agency and research institute, responsible for disease control and prevention, Lothar Wieler, briefs the media during a press conference on the COVID-19 disease situation in Berlin, Germany, on Jan. 14, 2021. John MacDougall/Pool via AP

Germany has too many loopholes in its coronavirus lockdown rules, the head of the country’s disease control agency said as figures published Thursday showed the highest number of daily deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The Robert Koch Institute said 1,244 deaths from COVID-19 were confirmed in one day up to Thursday, taking the total number to 43,881. There were also 25,164 newly confirmed cases, putting Germany’s total known infections close to 2 million.