COVID-19 Restrictions Extended until 15 January

On Wednesday afternoon, during a joint press conference with Luxembourg's Minister of Health Paulette Lenert, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced that current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place until 15 January 2021.

The Prime Minister explained that the number of new infections remains too high. This has in turn led to a high number of hospitalisations. He stressed that "now is not the time to loosen restrictions". 

Consequently, the current measures will be extended beyond 15 December 2020. A maximum of two people from the same household will still be allowed to interact with another household and restaurants and bars will remain closed until 15 January 2021 at the earliest. The curfew will also remain in place.

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel added that it will soon be illegal to consume takeaway food and drinks in shopping centres, which have become a new hotspot. In addition, the authorities are working on a solution to reduce the number of people present in shopping centres at the same time. The Prime Minister recalled that shopping is not an outing or a hobby but for getting the essentials.

Health Minister Paulette Lenert added that global experts have agreed that now (traditional flu season) is not a good time to ease restrictions. She explained that the authorities are not always aware of where exactly people are getting infected, but that once a family member catches it, it appears to quickly spread among other family members. She emphasised that the virus remains strongly present across all age groups in Luxembourg.

The Health Minister recognised that many people have lost their livelihoods and loved ones and others have lost their lives to this virus. It is thus important to "stand together".