New Update on German 'Lock-Down'

 Early this AM, some of the new stringent ban rules started to be issued out and it's not a pretty picture.

First, the new stringent deal starts on Wednesday (16 Dec).  Whatever shopping or thrills you wanted....you got Monday and Tuesday to accomplish them.  They run until 5 January, but there's already talk this morning that they will ALL be extended again (figure at least to mid-Feb).

Second, ALL retail operations will be shutdown in this period.  If you run a grocery or pharmacy....you can stay open.  Banks, gas stations, beverage shops, pet shops, and car-repair operations can also stay open.  Hair cutting operations, tattoo parlors, and anything non-essential?  They get closed down.  

Third, private meetings in a household?  Limited to two groups and a max of five people.  Kids don't figure into this equation.  Teenagers do (go figure that logic).  At Christmas, the number goes up to ten guests.  

If you had your son (with his wife), your daughter (with her wife), with your older sister....visiting you and your wife....you'd be in serious jeopardy of breaking the rules.  The math and logic here?  Throw it out....this is politician-logic.

Fourth, fireworks (for 31 December) are left to each city to manage.  Most say they won't allow it.  Some say that you can do it privately in front of your house.

Fifth, booze consumption in public?  Forbidden.  

This is effective from 16 December to 10 January.  You can drink on your property, and you might be able to get away with booze consumption out in the woods.  Where the homeless guys will drink?  Unknown.

Sixth, schools shut down on the 16th.  Make-up of this period?  They are hinting at virtual classes and just count them as 'real-school'.  

Finally, this meeting set-up for today....to stamp this all official....well, they don't want to do this via Zoom or a VTC type situation.  They want Merkel to call each Premier-President and discreetly discuss how each will handle it.  They don't want this as public information (it seems that they have serious issues on how the public perceives the coming situation).  

All of this being state-driven, and NOT federally-driven?  More than obvious.