19 March 2020, Bavaria, Munich: Markus Söder (CSU), Prime Minister of Bavaria, comes to the Bavarian parliament for a plenary session. The topic of the session is a government declaration including debates on the coronavirus crisis in Bavaria. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The leader of Germany’s largest state, Bavaria, has announced a complete shutdown on all public life, beginning from this evening (20 March), and lasting for at least the next two weeks to try and contain the spread of coronavirus.

"We are shutting down public life almost completely," Bavaria’s state premier Markus Söder said in a live press conference this afternoon. He said that too many people were not heeding warnings to keep their distance from each other and stay at home, instead doing things like having “corona parties” and in some cases treating the virus as a joke.

____________________________________________________

More on coronavirus:

All the latest coronavirus news, views and analysis

Virus killer: Why soap is the ultimate weapon in the global pandemic (Guardian)

How to self-isolate: Key steps to prevent the infection spreading (Vox)

____________________________________________________

“This cannot continue,” Söder said. “We have to break the wave of escalating infections.” As of today, Germany has over 15,000 reported coronavirus cases, and 44 people have died from the infection.

From midnight tonight, inhabitants of Bavaria will only be allowed to leave their houses to go shopping for essential items, to go to the doctors, and to go to work, but ideally everyone should aim to work from home.

All restaurants will be closed for the duration of the lockdown, but are allowed to serve food to go. DIY and garden centres must stay shut.

© Provided by Yahoo! Finance UK dpatop - 20 March 2020, Berlin: Two men are training in the Volkspark Wilmersdorf at a fitness facility closed with a barrier tape. In order to slow down the spread of the corona virus, the federal government has considerably restricted public life. Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa (Photo by Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Hairdressers will be closed too — until now, they were included in the list of “essential” exceptions that were permitted to stay open. He urged people not to go out panic-buying nor rush to cash machines, as banks would remain open and there would be no bottlenecks in food supplies.

“This is the only way to break this curve according to the experts,” Söder said. “For responsible people, not much will change— but for the irresponsible, there are now precise rules.”

“Stay at home, only go out in emergencies, do not make parties at home, and don’t invite the neighbours round,” he said, noting that fresh air is good for health and people are allowed to go for walks alone or with family members.

Söder noted that as a border region, Bavaria was in a riskier position than, for example, states in the centre of the country, which was a main reason for doing the same as France and instigating strict lockdowns.

In pictures: Coronavirus (COVID-19) hits UK amid global pandemic (Photos)

‘Saturday is decisive’

The Bavarian government’s move paves the way for other 15 states in Germany to impose their own stricter lockdowns or curfews. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff Helge Braun told Der Spiegel on Friday that the government would observe how people behave over the weekend, and then decide on whether or not to announce a country-wide lockdown.

"We will look at people’s behaviour this weekend," Braun said. "Saturday is a decisive day, and we will keep a close eye on that."

There was outrage this week as crowds of people in Berlin blatantly ignored Merkel’s repeated appeals to restrict contact with others, gathering to enjoy the unusually warm weather in parks and cafes.

Playgrounds, which were supposed to be closed in keeping with school shutdowns, remained defiantly open in many neighbourhoods.

Click or tap here for the latest travel advice for people travelling back to the UK from affected areas, including whether to self-isolate. If you think you have the virus, don't go to the GP or hospital, stay indoors and get advice online. Only call NHS 111 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home; your condition gets worse; or your symptoms do not get better after seven days. In parts of Wales where 111 isn't available, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. In Scotland, anyone with symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days. In Northern Ireland, call your GP.