Coronavirus threatens to ‘overwhelm’ German health system, Merkel says

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the current rate of infections in Germany poses a massive threat to the country’s health system in a tense speech to lawmakers in the Bundestag on Thursday.

“Such a dynamic would overwhelm our health system,” Merkel said.

Her speech in the lower house of parliament comes as Germany logged a new record in daily coronavirus cases with over 16,000 cases within 24 hours. During crisis talks on Wednesday between Merkel and Germany’s 16 state leaders, they agreed to issue a month-long partial lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

What did Merkel say?

In a speech that was regularly interrupted by shouts from several German lawmakers, Merkel said she understood the “frustration” over the pandemic and the restrictions, but she urged lawmakers and the public to do their part to slow the spread.

“Freedom isn’t being able to do whatever you want. Freedom is taking responsibility,” Merkel said.

She also took aim at conspiracy theories and disinformation in the fight against the virus in a likely jab at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

“Lies, disinformation and conspiracy theories not only damage democratic debate, but also the fight against the virus,” the chancellor said.

What are the issues with parliament?

German lawmakers on both the federal and state levels have growing increasingly frustrated in recent weeks over not being involved in the crisis talks.

The decisions concerning new measures to curb the spread of the virus — as well as when to lift restrictions — have largely been in the hands of federal and state leaders.

Opposition lawmakers argue that Germany’s parliamentary system is being ignored in the crisis and are pushing for a larger role in the decision-making process. They argue that the measures should be debated and approved by lawmakers.

What are Germany’s new lockdown measures?

The partial lockdown, which goes into effect on Monday, calls for stricter social distancing measures and limits on the number of people who can meet in public.

Bars, restaurants, fitness studios and movie theaters will close — but schools and daycare centers will largely remain open. The lockdown measures are currently slated to run until the end of November.

More to follow…

rs/sms (dpa, epd, AFP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-threatens-to-overwhelm-german-health-system-merkel-says/a-55430787?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom