Leader of anti-lockdown protest in Germany tests COVID positive
Dec 14, 2020
Berlin [Germany], December 14 : One of the co-organiser of the anti-lockdown protests in the eastern German city of Leipzig has tested positive for coronavirus and been hospitalised.
A prominent leader of the "Querdenker" (lateral thinker) movement in the eastern German city of Leipzig contracted COVID-19 and had to be hospitalised, DW reported citing Leipziger Volkszeitung (LVZ) newspaper.
"One of the well-known lateral thinkers, who demonstrated in Leipzig, was intubated eight days later," Professor Christoph Josten, director of the Leipzig University Hospital, was quoted as saying at a press conference.
"The virus does not differentiate between people, no matter who they are," the doctor added.
According to DW News, the Querdenker movement has been responsible for most of Germany's sometimes violent anti-shutdown protests, including a rally in Leipzig last month, which saw over 20,000 attendees.
The protests had sparked last month over the news on the German Parliament's plan to adopt the law to provide legal basis for the implementation of such COVID-19 restrictions as social distancing, requirements to wear masks, and regulate the work of the vaccination centres, Sputnik reported.
The protesters were heard chanting: "Freedom!", "Peace!", "Away with the law!"
According to the latest update by the Johns Hopkins University, Germany has reported 1,338,481 COVID-19 cases and 21,935 deaths so far.
Amid the surge in coronavirus cases, CNN quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as saying that the country will go into a "hard" national lockdown, starting next week and continuing through the Christmas period, after agreeing to stricter measures with state governments to stem a wave of coronavirus cases.
Meanwhile, all non-essential shops, services and schools will be closed till January 10, and "Christmas Day gatherings will be reduced from 10 people to only five from two different households".
