Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel Vows Tough Covid Restrictions

Speaking to parliament on Friday, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel urged for more restrictive measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

RELATED:

Germany To Negotiate With Russia To Buy Sputnik-V Vaccine

She strongly advocated for a nighttime curfew between 09.00 p.m. and 05.00 a.m., a measure that several local governments have rejected.

While acknowledging that the new restrictions such as reducing people-to-people contacts in private places or the closure of non-essential businesses could affect citizens' freedoms, the Chancellor highlighted that prohibitions were justified and necessary steps.

"We must do everything possible to slow down and break the third COVID-19 wave...The situation is serious, very serious. We must heed health authorities' emergency calls," Merkel said.

On Friday, the Robert Koch virology Institute reported 25,831 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the total number of infections to 3,099,273 cases and 79,628 related deaths since the start of the pandemic in this European nation. 

The federal government tightened its emergency response laws in a bid to impose unified restrictions nationwide as soon as the COVID-19 incidence rate exceeds 100 new cases per 100,000 population over three days.

In recent days, Health Minister Jens Spahn confirmed that 2.2 million people under the age of 60 who received the first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine would be inoculated to complete the regimen with BioNTech-Pfizer's or Moderna's vaccines.

The decision comes after thrombosis incidents were recorded mainly among healthy people who were immunized with AstraZeneca doses.