Germany seeks to avoid school closures if COVID surges again

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s federal and state leaders have agreed to try to avoid closing schools and child care facilities if there is another surge in coronavirus cases this fall. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after meeting Thursday with the governors of Germany’s 16 states that the goal would be to prevent “another blanket closure” of schools and kindergartens. Scholz said while the situation is expected to further ease during the summer, authorities are preparing for a possible rise in cases this fall. Germany has seen a steady decline in newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks, but still reported almost 50,000 new infections Thursday. It has also been detecting a new omicron sub-variant.