Angela Merkel backing ‘short, uniform lockdown’ for Germany

There has been a rise in coronavirus cases.

Published Apr 7, 2021

Last updated Apr 8, 2021

Chairs and tables outside a traditional Bavarian restaurant are locked at the city centre in Munich, Germany (Matthias Schrader/AP)

A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel is supporting calls for a “short, uniform lockdown” as the country grapples with a rise in coronavirus cases.

German state governors, who are responsible for imposing and lifting restrictions, have taken differing approaches.

Some back limited reopening steps and others advocate a stricter shutdown.

Armin Laschet, a governor who also leads Mrs Merkel’s party, is calling for a 2-3 week “bridge lockdown” to control infections while vaccinations are ramped up.

Only very few people walk on the Friedrichstrasse near the former Checkpoint Charlie, an allied border crossing during the Cold War, in Berlin, Germany (Markus Schreiber/AP)

Merkel spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer says, “every call for a short, uniform lockdown is right”.

She says numbers of new cases are not particularly good, and a rise in the number of occupied intensive care beds “speaks a very clear language”.

Mr Laschet also called for the next meeting between Mrs Merkel and governors to coordinate restrictions to be moved up from next Monday but has hit resistance from his colleagues.