Chancellor Angela Merkel has conceded more responsibility to Germany’s 16 states for tackling the coronavirus epidemic, but insisted that social distancing and mask-wearing were needed to avoid a new wave of infections. A row has erupted between central government and several states that want to shift away from strict rules to looser recommendations as the number of new cases falls. The states are in charge of most day-to-day enforcement issues.
Germany has managed to keep its COVID-19 death toll relatively low despite a high number of cases, and a nationwide shutdown in mid-March has already been eased, with shops, factories, schools and restaurants re-opening. However, she criticised Thuringia state premier Bodo Ramelow, saying his message on easing curbs had been “rather ambiguous”. “I think there is a commitment on keeping a minimum distance (of 1.5 metres),” she said.
Wearing face protection and sticking to an “emergency brake” to reimpose tougher restrictions in the event of a pickup in infections in an area were also a basic minimum, she said. Ramelow has said he would scrap strict rules on masks and distancing in Thuringia, which has fewer than 3,000 cases, and rely on recommendations.Merkel, a scientist who has scolded some states for being too “brisk” in lifting restrictions, reiterated her cautious approach, saying the virus had not gone away. Local outbreaks have in the last couple of weeks hit migrant workers in meat processing factories, worshippers at a church service and a diners at a restaurant.
Source: Reuters
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