German Health Minister Urges Immediate Lockdown

The German health minister Jens Spahn has called on the states not to delay imposing much stricter restrictions until a legislative amendment has been passed.

In order to halt the spread of the coronavirus, he says it is necessary to take immediate measures to “drastically limit” contact between people.

According to him, the number of new infections is out of control, and the situation is getting worse than in the second wave of the virus last year. “We know from last fall what will happen if we don’t act quickly,” said Spahn.

Many states are sceptical about the restrictions imposed in the name of corona control and fear even more significant damage to the economy. During the crisis, they have tried to water down the strictest measures or their implementation.

Therefore, Chancellor Merkel is changing the law to obtain the power to take measures himself outside the sixteen states. However, that bill has yet to be approved by the Bundestag.

The most controversial part of Merkel’s plans is the curfew, which is also called disproportionate or unconstitutional by state prime ministers from her own Christian Democratic CDU.