German restaurant bears out pandemic with furry customers

FILE PHOTO: Italian restaurant owner Giuseppe "Pino" Fichera holds a fluffy toy panda bear as part of the art installation "Panda mie" at his restaurant to raise awareness of the COVID-19 lockdown's business impact on gastronomy in Frankfurt, Germany, November 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The owner of a Frankfurt restaurant is staging a protest against the coronavirus lockdown in Germany by filling his tables with a hundred stuffed toy pandas, in a play on the word "pandemic".

German officials are expected on Wednesday to agree to extend until Dec. 20 a "lockdown light" they imposed on Nov. 2 that means bars, restaurants and entertainment venues must stay closed, while shops and schools can remain open.