Christmas & New Year'sThese are the expected measures to be announced in Germany

The measures allow for small family gatherings at Christmas and New Year’s, as the festive season were vital for social and cultural cohesion, the paper states. The exact number of people in gatherings is not mentioned, a point on the agenda for Wednesday - talks are of somewhere between 5-10 people, an exception that is made for only several days.

The government is expected to announce a fireworks ban for New Year’s Eve, a move that will relieve hospitals and emergency services, but also prevent group gatherings in general.

Schools would remain open, but masks could become mandatory in those states where infections spike. A hybrid system of homeschooling and physical presence is also on the table.

An overview of expected restrictions as of 1 December 2020:

• Private gatherings limited to one household, with max one additional person from a second household - total number of people not above five;
• Stricter mask rules indoors, but also outdoors where social distancing cannot be maintained;
• Universities and secondary schools switch to homeschooling;
• Businesses are asked to close between 21 December - 3 January, with employees working from home