Merkel calls to amend Infection Protection Act to give more powers to federal authorities
The Chancellor of Germany – Angela Merkel has asked the German Parliament to pass a Bill that will allow her Government to force Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns and curfews in containment zones.
This gains significance as Germany is struggling to contain the third wave of the pandemic. The passing of the Bill is important as it will give her powers to amend the Infection Protection Act. This means, even if the regional leaders resist stringent measures, she will have the powers to force them.
She told the Parliament, “The situation is serious, very serious, and we need to take it seriously.”
She even stressed that the people are also in favour of stricter restrictions. She told the Parliament that intensive care workers were sending one distress call after the other.
Speaking on the occasion, Merkel said, “Who are we to ignore their pleas? We cannot be permitted to leave the doctors and nurses alone.”
Germany has a total of 31,10,252 cases and 79,672 casualties. In the past 24 hours, it reported 25,110 fresh cases and 245 casualties. Currently, the infection rate across Germany stands at just above 160 cases each week per 100,000 residents.
The centralised stricter measures would put a much needed stop to the third wave. It will also lead to a uniform set of rules entailing the closure of stores, cultural and sports facilities, limits on personal contacts, and night curfews.
The Lower House of the Parliament is scheduled to vote on the Bill next week. It will then be discussed in the Upper House of Parliament. The biggest challenge for Merkel is States are not ready to concede power to the Federal Authorities. Legislators belonging to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has vocally and persistently opposed the lockdowns. The opposition states that lockdowns have failed to control the pandemic and also damage the economy. In addition, it also damages people’s mental health and democratic freedom.
Opposing the Bill, the Parliamentary leader for AfD – Alice Weidel said, “The proposed amendments of the Infection Protection Act are an alarming document of an authoritarian state. This relapse into the authoritarian demon is coming from the chancellery and you, Madame Chancellor.”
The Eastern States of Germany, which are dominated by AfD party, have witnessed protests against the lockdown. Merkel has also called for a coordinated effort across various levels of Government to limit the spread of the more transmissible U.K. strain.
Unlike Britain and France, Germany has been reluctant in imposing major restrictions on movement of people and goods due to its Nazi and Communist past.
Separately, Merkel received her first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine today. She was vaccinated at the at the specially installed center in Berlin’s former Tempelhof Airport, which is currently working exclusively with AstraZeneca. The center vaccinates around 3,000 people a day.
