Germany eyes local travel bans to prevent 2nd virus wave

BERLIN (AP) — The government official overseeing Germany's pandemic response expressed confidence Tuesday that his country can avoid a second big wave of coronavirus cases if people respect rules such as social distancing and wearing masks, but also floated the idea of local quarantines to curb fresh outbreaks.

Helge Braun, who has coordinated the country’s fight against the pandemic from the start, said the government is considering limiting travel in and out of areas that see a sudden, unexplained surge in COVID-19 cases.

“Our measures are appropriate to preventing a second big wave,” Braun told The Associated Press during an interview at the Chancellery in Berlin. “But this requires us to stay the course, not get careless in our measures, and maintain our respect for the virus.”

Germans have watched in horror as cases in the United States, Brazil and elsewhere surged long after Germany flattened its own curve of infections in April. The country of 83 million has reported slightly over 200,000 confirmed cases and 9,077 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak; the rate of new infections now averages about three per 100,000 inhabitants a week.

Braun attributed Germany's relative success in part to swift action during the early stages of the pandemic.

As a trained emergency room doctor, the 47-year-old said he was aware of the risks if hospitals became overwhelmed with cases. “It was a great concern of mine to prevent such a situation,” Braun told the AP.

While other governments considered letting the virus sweep through the population to get the pandemic over with sooner, Germany never seriously toyed with the idea of ‘herd immunity.'

“Our conclusion was that unless one brings the infection under control very strongly, then it will...