BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for a short and hard blockade in Germany to reduce the spread of the coronavirus because infection rates are too high, a German government spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Germany is struggling to tackle a third wave of pandemics and several regional leaders have called for a short and sharp blockade, while the country tries to vaccinate more people.
“Every call for a short and uniform blockade is fair,” government spokesman Ulrike Demmer told reporters, adding that Germany has seen an increasing number of intensive care patients.
“We need a stable incidence of less than 100,” she said, referring to the number of cases over seven days per 100,000 inhabitants. It is currently 110.1, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.
She added that the government is considering whether measures are needed at the national level, rather than at the regional level.
“The range of regulations does not help acceptance,” Demmer said. While some states have imposed night-time Easter rule, others are experiencing easing restrictions.
Merkel put pressure on regional leaders on March 28 to step up efforts to reduce rapidly growing coronavirus infections, adding a subtle threat that they should otherwise consider what steps could be taken at the national level.
One option would be to amend the Law on the Protection of Infections to provide for what should happen in certain scenarios and which could allow the federal government to enforce a nationwide blockade without obtaining the approval of the 16 state prime ministers.
Demmer said the government was still considering the option, but no final decision had been made.
Bild reported that Conservative lawmakers are currently working on a bill that would give the federal government more powers to get the third wave under control.
Most of the prime ministers of the German federal states opposed the start of talks scheduled for April 12 on the action to be taken.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by 9,677 on Wednesday to more than 2.9 million, the Robert Koch Institute said. He warned that the numbers may not yet show the full picture, as not all cases were recorded at Easter. About 77,401 people died.
Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Michael Nienaber; Writing Madeline Chambers; Montage by Maria Sheahan, Kirsti Knolle