German regions defy Merkel and move to ease lockdown

ANGELA MERKEL was facing a rebellion over Germany’s lockdown yesterday as regional governments moved to ease restrictions.

Garden centres, florists and nail parlours are among businesses allowed to reopen in several German states from Monday as regional leaders defied Mrs Merkel’s calls to extend the lockdown.

Clothes shops will be allowed to reopen in the western state of Rhinelandpalatinate, but customers will have to make an appointment in advance.

The move comes as a poll released yesterday showed more than half of Germans support the easing of restrictions. The survey for ZDF television found that 56 per cent were in favour, while only 41 per cent were opposed.

Mrs Merkel is to hold talks with regional leaders on the lockdown next week. She has repeatedly warned against lifting restrictions over fears Germany could face a third wave caused by new variants of the virus.

But under Germany’s federal system it is regional leaders who have the final say on lockdown, and in a clear sign that they are no longer prepared to go along with Mrs Merkel’s tough line several pre-empted the talks by announcing their own plans in advance. Crucially, they include Markus Söder, the Bavarian regional leader who has been Mrs Merkel’s staunchest ally on lockdown.

Mrs Merkel signalled she was ready to compromise in an interview this week, telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “There cannot be a single plan with exact data straight from the drawing board. We always have to be flexible.”

At the last round of talks in early February Mrs Merkel dashed hopes of early reopening by introducing new infection targets. Just as the weekly national infection rate was nearing the previous target of 50 per 100,000 people she lowered it to 35.

That move has proved deeply unpopular and regional governments are now under pressure to loosen restrictions even though the rate has begun to rise again. Several regional leaders are facing elections this year and say they cannot afford to ignore public opinion.

One of Mrs Merkel’s key allies made the anger among the states clear in unguarded remarks at an online conference this week.

“We are destroying livelihoods and, by the way, also the state finances,” said Volker Bouffier, the regional leader of Hesse, home to Germany’s financial capital, Frankfurt.

He predicted next week’s talks would be “a mess, wild yapping from the chancellery to Bavaria and back, and in the end the people will be driven insane”.