Germany imposes tough restrictions
Berlin, Germany - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday defended a fiercely-opposed new law imposing tough coronavirus restrictions across Germany including night curfews and school closures.
With many of its neighbours lifting restrictions despite higher virus rates, Europe’s biggest economy is bucking the trend with the new national law dubbed the ‘emergency brake’.
Passed amid huge protests in Berlin this week, the law prescribes uniform national restrictions and is designed to end a tug of war between the federal government and Germany's 16 states.
The law ‘is something new in our fight against the pandemic. And I’m convinced that we need it urgently’, Merkel said in her weekly video podcast. “If we manage to significantly and quickly reduce infections, gradual opening-up will be possible in the near future,” she added.
Tough measures will apply from Saturday in all regions with incidence rates of more than 100 new infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days, including sweeping shutdowns and overnight curfews.
Schools must also revert to virtual teaching in areas where the incidence rate exceeds 165.
Eight German states had an incidence rate above 165 on Friday, with the national average hovering at 164.
‘Authoritarian fig leaf to hide failures’
Conservative daily Die Welt called the new law ‘an authoritarian fig leaf designed to conceal failures of strategy, vaccination and testing’.
The liberal, pro-business FDP party has vowed to take legal action to have it overturned, with party chief Christian Lindner calling it ‘unconstitutional’.
The new restrictions have also caused confusion on the question of travel through areas with high incidence rates.
“Anyone who does not want to commit an administrative offence may not cross the affected districts by car, train or even plane during the curfew,” the FDP’s Wolfgang Kubicki told the Bild daily.