Germany eyes local travel bans to prevent 2nd virus wave

Helge Braun, who is Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff and tasked with coordinating the government's pandemic response, said Germany is considering local travel bans for areas that see a sudden, unexplained surge in virus cases. 'Our measures are appropriate to preventing a second big wave,' Braun told The Associated Press in 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.' Germany has managed to flatten the curve of infections to three per 100,000 inhabitants a week - a very low rate by international comparison. The country of 83 million has reported just over 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,077 deaths since the start of its outbreak.