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During a meeting on Monday, leaders agreed that almost all stores would be closed from April 1-5. Only grocery stores could open on Saturday, April 3.
But after these plans drew strong criticism, an extraordinary meeting was called on Wednesday, and the leaders agreed only to ask the public to spend Easter weekend at home, an AFP source said.
Merkel admitted Wednesday that the strict quarantine plan for Easter was her “mistake.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the chancellor and leaders of 16 states were reported to have agreed to cancel their plans over Easter to tighten restrictions on the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s my fault,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin, adding that she had “ultimate responsibility” for a decision that drew harsh criticism.
“The whole process has created additional uncertainty, so I ask all citizens to forgive me,” he said.
The leaders agreed that these measures were “impossible to implement in this way,” Armin Laschet, leader of Merkel’s CDU party, told a regional parliament in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Chancellor acknowledged that it would be too difficult to implement plans to shut down the economy for five days after they were announced so late. Vacation pay rules and supply chain issues have become the most serious challenges.
With growing dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the epidemic, the CDU’s popularity ratings have plummeted as Germany battles an increasingly intense COVID-19 outbreak, which experts call the third wave of the virus.
“Invalid priorities”
Plans to tighten the quarantine in the country have caused great outrage: for example, the daily Bild called the government’s treatment of a pandemic a “disaster.”
“Merkel and [regionų lyderiai] I lost sight of the real problem, ”the publication said.
The weekly Der Spiegel, for its part, called the measures “scandal” and said the government had “completely inappropriate priorities” and should focus on improving the vaccination campaign and testing strategy.
Opposition politicians called for a vote of no confidence in parliament on Wednesday, but Merkel assured them that she still had the full support of her left and right coalition government.
The epidemiological situation in Germany continues to deteriorate: 15,813 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
In addition to the Easter quarantine, Merkel and regional leaders agreed on Monday night to extend existing restrictions on COVID-19, including extending the closure of cultural, leisure and sports centers until April 18.
“It just came to our attention then. The number of cases is growing exponentially and beds in intensive care units are being filled,” Merkel said after announcing those measures.
The British strain of coronavirus has become dominant in Germany, the chancellor said, warning: “We have a new pandemic.”
However, the country is losing patience due to slow vaccination rates, slow mass rapid tests, and increased morbidity after several months of quarantine, all of which CDUs are currently at their lowest level. in recent years.
Europe’s largest economy will elect a new federal parliament in September, and Merkel, who has led the country for 16 years, will resign.
According to a poll released Wednesday, the CDU now supports 26 percent. voters, significantly fewer than in 2017, when 32.9 percent voted for this ruling party. electorate.
Merkel tried to convey an optimistic mood to the public on Wednesday, promising the Germans to “beat the virus together.”
“The road is rough and bumpy, there are both successes and obstacles. However, the horrors caused by the virus will gradually diminish ”, emphasized the chancellor.
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