German curbs not enough to avert disaster, Merkel warns
ANGELA MERKEL fears Germany’s coronavirus restrictions do not go far enough and privately warned the country may be heading for disaster, it emerged yesterday.
Germany recorded its highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic yesterday, with 6,638 cases.
Just hours earlier, regional leaders had stopped short of agreeing to tough new measures proposed by Mrs Merkel.
During late-night talks on Wednesday, she lost her temper and told state leaders: “What we’ve agreed is not enough to ward off disaster.”
“The basic mood is that everyone is looking for loopholes,” she added, according to details leaked to the German press. “That’s what worries me.”
State governments have the final say over lockdown measures in Germany.
Asked later what she meant, Mrs Merkel said: “If you ask me what it is that worries me, it’s the exponential rate of increase. We have to stop that. Otherwise this won’t end well.”
Regional leaders agreed restrictions for virus hotspots, including an 11pm restaurant and pub curfew, gatherings limited to 10 people, and mandating the use of masks in crowded outdoor areas.
But they deferred a decision on internal travel restrictions until next month.
Several states banned hotel or holiday rental stays for residents from badly hit areas. But key states including Berlin and North Rhine-westphalia refused to implement the ban. Courts in three more states overturned the ban yesterday on the grounds it infringed the constitutional right to free movement.