Merkel and German state premiers agree to prolong virus restrictions
Restrictions on social contact will remain in place across Germany until April 19 at the earliest, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state premiers agreed on Wednesday.
Citizens must “reduce contact with other people except for members of their own household to an absolute minimum in keeping with the existing rules, including during the Easter holidays,” they agreed, according to a transcript of a phone call with Merkel seen by dpa.
Speaking after the call, Merkel declined to hold out hopes of an end to the restrictions.
“I am unable at this stage to make any statement in answer to the question of how long it will still take,” she said.
The chancellor noted that seriously ill coronavirus patients were spending more than two weeks in intensive care units, and for that reason the rate of new infections – and new hospital admissions – still had to come down.
“We want to avoid overextending the health system,” she said.
The government is to appeal to Germans to forego private trips and visits to friends and family during the Easter break, both within Germany and for daily trips further abroad.
April 19 marks the end of the Easter holidays in almost all German states.
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During the call, Merkel and Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder urged other premiers not to enter into any public discussion on when the current restrictions might be eased. The leaders are to consult again on April 14, the Tuesday after Easter.
Also agreed during the call is that there should be no obligation on members of the public to wear medical masks to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus. The wearing of a face mask also did not relieve the wearer of the obligation to obey the current restrictions.
The restrictions were initially to stay in place until April 5 although an extension was broadly expected and some states had already taken action to prolong the measures.
Referring to attempts to set up a virus tracking app, Merkel said she would herself use the system once launched.
“What is clear is that we would do this on a voluntary basis,” she said, adding that she would recommend others to do the same.
The app is currently being trialled by soldiers in Berlin.
Earlier politicians in the ruling coalition and the opposition parties had rejected on data protection grounds a suggestion by Health Minister Jens Spahn that mobile phone data could be used to track those thought to have been in contact with infected patients. (dpa)
