German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes off her face protection 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 reversed plans on Wednesday for a coronavirus confinement at Easter amid criticism from experts and officials over the measure.
The plans provided for the strict closure of the country during the Easter holiday – which would have all shops and churches closed from April 1 to April 5.
“We must try to slow down the third wave of the pandemic. Even so, it was a mistake,” said Merkel during a news conference, according to the German news agency Deutsche Welle. “At the end of the day, I bear the ultimate responsibility.”
“It is now important for me to say it here. An error must be called an error and, above all, it must be corrected, preferably in advance, ”he added, according to the news agency.
Merkel’s comments come after strong criticism that a plan, drawn up earlier this week with regional leaders, to impose a strict block during the Easter period to help stop a third wave of coronavirus cases currently being seen in Germany, in largely driven by more infectious variants of the virus.
Critics of the change, 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 period of time during the holiday – a change that is likely to will cause crowds to gather. Others questioned the hours of work lost and the wages that the change would entail.
“It was well-founded, but it wasn’t really feasible in such a short time,” Merkel said on Wednesday, reflecting on the original blockade proposal. “Many questions, from lost wages to wasted time in factories and facilities, could not be answered properly in time.”
It is a rare turnaround of a leader considered Europe’s leading figure and seen as a steadfast hand in times of crisis. It is also another sign that Germany, a country praised for its initial response to the pandemic, is beginning to feel the pressure of the difficult decisions that need to be made, as the pandemic continues to generate new challenges and concerns.
When the pandemic emerged in Europe in early 2020, Germany showed that it was able to quickly test, track and isolate the first cases of the virus, helping to prevent its spread. Its modern health care network has also helped to prevent as many deaths as those of its continental neighbors.
Germany recorded almost 2.7 million cases and more than 75,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. This compares to 4.3 million cases in the UK and more than 126,000 deaths.
The country had recently begun easing blocking measures, allowing schools to reopen in February and some non-essential stores to admit customers again earlier this month. Like other European nations, it was betting on the launch of vaccines against the coronavirus to allow it to slowly reopen its economy, the largest in Europe.
The launch of the vaccination did not go as planned in the EU, however, with Germany, a country known for its organizational skills, negatively surprising experts with its slow program.
Germany is not alone in having to adjust its Easter plans; Italy is expected to reimpose a national blockade during the period for the second consecutive year, while Paris and other parts of France are again under a partial blockade.