The German government today agreed to amend the national infectious disease control law to give Berlin authorities more power to impose tougher measures such as a nighttime curfew to stop the 2019 coronavirus disease (Chinese communist virus, COVID-19) outbreak from raging.
▲The German government will amend the law and impose a curfew. (Photo／Central News Agency)
The law amendment, which still needs parliamentary approval, will in the future allow Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and close schools and businesses in areas with high infection rates. Private parties and sporting events will also be more tightly restricted.
Germany is facing a dangerous wave 3 of the epidemic, which is putting increasing pressure on the German healthcare system.
The amendment is intended to end the political tug-of-war between the federal government and powerful local governments over epidemic prevention measures, and the political maneuvering ahead of September’s elections has deepened tensions.
Currently, epidemic restrictions are negotiated between state governments and the central federal government, and local states are theoretically expected to implement them.
But in many cases, state leaders have not implemented the closures they and Mekelle agreed to. Some leaders have even allowed stores and movie theaters to reopen.
Merkel said today that she decided to ask parliament for temporary powers to enable her government to impose nationwide closures, which are necessary to contain the third wave of the outbreak in Germany.
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