Coronavirus In Europe: Germany Begins To Reopen But Merkel Urges Caution

Germany began to reopen small stores on Monday, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel urging the public to be cautious about the coronavirus.

“We must remain vigilant and disciplined,” Merkel told reporters. She added that she was "greatly concerned" that Germans may become less stringent about social distancing guidelines.

"We stand at the beginning of the pandemic and are still a long way from being out of the woods," she said.

All stores under 800 square meters in Germany were given permission to reopen Monday, with bookstores, florists, fashion stores and bike shops some of the businesses opening their doors. This is the first time that Germany has eased its shutdown since the order was imposed on March 22.

Although Germany has a large number of coronavirus cases, the country has not had as many deaths as other major European nations, such as Italy and Spain. Germany has rolled out mass testing to deal with the virus, with the country also having an oversupply of hospital beds.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn claimed Monday that German hospitals are treating 200 coronavirus patients from neighboring EU nations. He said there is a “willingness and the capacity to accept more [patients] if necessary.”

Spahn called it an "understanding of European solidarity." Patients are mainly from France, Italy and the Netherlands.

As of Monday at 1:40 p.m. ET, there are 146,200 cases of the coronavirus in Germany, with the country’s death toll at 4,669.