German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes off her face mask when she arrives at the National Integration Summit at the Chancellery in Berlin on October 19, 2020.
FABRIZIO BENSCH | AFP | Getty Images
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday canceled plans to block the Easter coronavirus, amid criticism from experts and officials about the move.
The plans were to place the country in a strict blockade of the Easter holidays – which would have seen all shops and churches closed between April 1-5.
“We must try to slow down the third wave of the pandemic. However, it was a mistake,” Merkel told a news conference, according to German media Deutsche Welle. “At the end of the day, I take on the ultimate responsibility.”
“Now it is important for me to say this here. A mistake should be called a mistake and, above all, it should be corrected, preferably in a timely manner,” she added, according to the news agency.
Merkel’s comments come after fierce criticism that a plan, drawn up earlier this week with regional leaders, to impose a strict Easter lockout to help stop a third wave of coronavirus cases currently seen in Germany is largely driven by more infectious variants of the virus.
Critics of the move, which included health experts and business leaders, said the blockade could do more harm than good, especially plans to allow grocery stores and supermarkets to open for a limited time during the holidays. – a movement that can cause crowds to gather. Others questioned the lost working hours and the wages that the move would entail.
“It was well motivated, but it could not be achieved in such a short time,” Merkel said on Wednesday, reflecting on the initial blocking proposal. “Too many questions, from lost wages to wasted time in factories and facilities, could not be adequately answered in time.”
It is a rare turn from a leader considered the head of Europe and seen as a constant hand in times of crisis. It is also a further signal that Germany, a country praised for its initial response to the pandemic, is beginning to feel the tension of difficult decisions to be made as the pandemic continues to raise new challenges and concerns.
When the pandemic broke out in Europe in early 2020, Germany said it was able to quickly test, track and isolate early cases of the virus, helping to stop its spread. Its modern healthcare network has also helped prevent any deaths seen in its continental neighbors.
Germany has nearly 2.7 million cases and more than 75,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. This compares with the 4.3 million cases in the UK and over 126,000 deaths.
The country had recently begun easing foreclosure measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and some non-essential stores to re-admit customers earlier this month. Like other European nations, it has worked to launch coronavirus vaccines so that it can slowly reopen its largest economy in Europe.
Vaccination launches were not planned in the EU, however, with Germany, a country known for its organizational skills, negatively surprising experts with its slow schedule.
Germany is not the only one to adjust its plans around Easter; Italy will re-impose a national blockade for the second year in a row, while Paris and other parts of France are again under a partial blockade.