Germany’s Merkel urges lawmakers to back pandemic bill

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged parliament Friday to pass a bill that would mandate a nationwide “emergency brake” when the spread of the coronavirus becomes too rapid, saying that it was needed to prevent the health care system from becoming overwhelmed.

“The situation is serious, very serious, and we need to take it seriously,” she told lawmakers. “There is no way around it. We need to stop this third wave of the pandemic… and to achieve this we need to better combine the strengths of the federal, state and local governments than we have been.”

Passing the bill is an uphill battle for Merkel, with state governments reluctant to cede any authority over health care to the federal government.

The bill needs approval not only by the lower house of parliament, but by the state-run upper house as well.

The speech to parliament came as the country recorded 25,831 new cases of COVID-19 overnight and 247 additional deaths, according to the Robert Koch Institute disease control center.

The emergency brake being proposed would apply in regions with more than 100 new weekly cases per 100,000 inhabitants. It would mandate the implementation of uniform rules imposed by the federal government, entailing the closure of stores, cultural and sports facilities, limits on personal contacts and nighttime curfews.