German lawmakers vote to abolish most pandemic restrictions

BERLIN (AP) — Lawmakers in Germany have voted to abolish most of the country’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions despite a surge in infections,  with almost 300,000 new daily cases reported. The Bundestag passed an amendment to the pandemic rules in a 364-277 vote with two abstentions. The upper house of parliament also approved the measure. The changes mean that the requirement to wear face masks can be dropped for most public settings beginning Sunday, though all German states have said they will keep them in place for up to two weeks. Masks may still be required on public transport. Visitors to nursing homes will continue to need negative COVID-19 tests. German states can still impose new restrictions to curb outbreaks in virus “hot spots.”