German health minister: restrictions needed to prevent new Covid wave

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has warned of a "catastrophic" new wave of the coronavirus in Germany if sufficient measures to contain Covid-19 are not agreed on before autumn.
"If we went into autumn as we are now, i.e. without further protective measures, without masks, without anything, it would mean that the number of cases would rise sharply, but also that intensive care units would be overloaded," Lauterbach told dpa on Thursday during a visit to Washington.
At the same time, Lauterbach continued, hospital staff would likely also get sick, putting further strain on the health system. "It's like a candle burning at both ends," Lauterbach said.
"We need measures, that is clear... not debatable, we will be prepared." Lauterbach said he did not want to go into what measures could be implemented, saying that these were the subject of confidential negotiations with other government branches including the Ministry of Justice.
The legal basis for Germany's current set of coronavirus restrictions expires on September 23, by which time the government will have decided on new measures, Lauterbach said.