Science and politics want to reduce the so-called 7-day incidence to below 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure shows how many people have been infected with the coronavirus within seven days. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), on Tuesday only 21 of a total of 401 urban and rural districts were below the desired limit of 50 new infections. 68 districts even had an incidence of more than 200. Here, the freedom of movement is to be limited even more drastically than before.

Anyone who lives in a district with a particularly high number of new infections and who does not have a "valid reason" is not to leave a radius of 15 kilometres around their place of residence. One such reason, for example, is the way to work - "day-trip excursions" are not included. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) explained that within a city with a high incidence, however, people should be able to move freely beyond the 15 kilometres.

Hajo Zeeb of the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that he was not aware of any scientific findings that went beyond the recommendation to stay at home. "If you do a complete lockdown like in Italy, that you are no longer allowed to go out of the house, then that leads to a reduction." He said the situation was similar at the pandemic's point of origin in Wuhan, China, where individual apartment blocks were sealed off and residents were prevented from leaving their homes with physical barriers.

"The discussion is still very much aimed at reducing contact throughout society," said Gerard Krause, head of the Epidemiology Department at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig. Above all, targeted hygiene protection measures are needed for the older generation, because they are the ones with the most deaths.

In essence, yes. "All Germans enjoy freedom of movement throughout the entire territory of the Federal Republic," Article 11 states, but there are exceptions - such as in the case of natural disasters or to "combat the danger of epidemics". The legal basis for restricting freedom of movement in an emergency is provided by the Infection Protection Act, which was reformed again in November. The protective measures against the pandemic formulated here for the first time include "exit or contact restrictions" in addition to the obligation to wear a mask and a distance requirement. According to the federal government, particularly severe restrictions of fundamental rights - such as exit restrictions - are only possible under certain conditions. For example, if other measures have not helped.

In Germany, this has only happened in Saxony so far - since mid-December. Here, citizens are only allowed to leave "within a radius of 15 kilometres of their home, accommodation or place of work" - for example, to go shopping, to visit the doctor, to do sports or to go for a walk. For Thuringia, which is also heavily affected, Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Linke) recently proposed a corresponding regulation.

In mid-March, Schleswig-Holstein had imposed an entry ban that was tantamount to a restriction of movement, especially for Hamburg residents. It applied to tourists, day trippers and owners of second homes. Hamburgers were thus able to travel further south, but they were barred from the north.

In France, for example, people were at times only allowed outside the door with a valid reason and had to prove this with a form during check-ups. For walks or sports, there was a limit of one hour per day within a maximum radius of one kilometre from one's home. In Catalonia in north-eastern Spain, people were ordered last week not to leave their community for ten days if they did not have a valid reason, for example to go to work.

In England, too, far-reaching restrictions are to apply again now. Accordingly, citizens will only be allowed to leave their homes for necessary activities such as doctor's appointments or work. As Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in a televised speech on Monday evening, the measures will probably apply until mid-February. Broad approval is expected in parliament this Wednesday.

(Original text: dpa, Translation: Mareike Graepel)