疫情壟罩聖誕假期
Germany has gone into a national lockdown, which came into force on December 16 and will continue until January 10, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders agreed to impose stricter measures to stem a surge in coronavirus cases.
德國總理梅克爾與各邦首長達成共識，將採取更嚴格的措施控制國內快要擋不住的新冠肺炎疫情，舉國已於12月16日開始進行封城，並將一直持續到1月10日。
come into force(法律)生效=come into effect=take effectimpose(v.)實施=carry outstem(v.)阻擋、阻止、遏制=control=curbsurge(n.)激增=a sudden increase
Under the terms of the lockdown, which Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states agreed to in an emergency meeting on December 13, non-essential shops and services, except for food retailers, pharmacies and banks, as well as schools, will have to close their doors under the lockdown.
梅克爾和德國16個邦的首長在12月13日召開緊急會議，同意封城期間，除食品零售商、藥局和銀行外，非必需的商店和服務以及學校都必須關閉，
term(n.)(合約)條款、(細項)規定agree to sth.同意、贊同(某事)essential(adj.)必要的;必不可少的essential workers基層勞工non-essential(adj.)非必要的except (for) sth. 除了…之外
Employers are advised to either release workers for early holidays or allow them to work from home.
並建議雇主讓員工提早休假，或允許他們在家工作。
advise sb. to do sth. 建議某人該怎麼做
Private gatherings will be limited to no more than five people from two households, with an additional four close family members allowed over Christmas.
私人聚會僅限於兩個家庭，且不得超過五人，不過在聖誕節期間可以增加四位親近的家庭成員。
be limited to 被限制於～additional(adj.)附加的、額外的、另外的=extra
Tighter rules will be enforced for New Year’s Eve. No gatherings on the streets will be allowed, customary firework displays will be canceled, and drinking is to be banned from all public places.
跨年夜將執行更嚴格的規定，禁止在街上聚會，取消慣例舉行的煙火秀，並禁止在公共場所飲酒。
enforce(v.)施行;執行;實行=carry out=imposecustomary(adj.)慣常的;傳統的ban(v.)禁止
Merkel made an impassioned plea for Germans to limit social contacts to “an absolute minimum” ahead of the holidays after the meeting with state leaders. “There is an urgent need to take action,” Merkel said.
梅克爾懇切地呼籲德國人在假期前維持「絕對最低限度」的社交接觸，並表示「情況危急必須即刻採取行動。」
plea(n.)懇求、懇請=appealimpassioned(adj.)(講話或文章)充滿激情的;熱烈的limit…to…將…限制在…的範圍之內
Germany had been in a “soft lockdown” before mid-December, with bars and restaurants closed, while stores and schools had stayed open.
12月中旬前，德國一直處於「軟封城」狀態，酒吧和餐館關閉，而商店和學校則照常開放。
had V.pp過去完成式with O OC 附帶狀況的說明
However, the measures have failed to keep its number of new infections down. On December 13, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by 20,200 to 1,320,716.
不過，這些措施未能降低新感染病例數。12月13日，德國新冠病毒確診病例數增加了20,200例，來到1,320,716例。
fail to RV未能;無法=cannot RVinfection(n.)感染confirmed(adj.)確認的