Germany cancels Easter lockdown

German evening news on March 24th: Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had never made a mistake in her 16 years in office, had a setback. Under pressure from the public, Merkel revoked the Easter ban issued on Monday and resumed the five-day Easter activities, which caused an uproar across the country.

According to foreign media reports, on March 22, German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a video conference with other state legislators, and decided to take new epidemic prevention and blockade measures from April 1 to 18. During the Easter period , almost all shops will be closed, with only food supermarkets open for one day on April 3 , and the catering industry will be closed . All residents should stay at home as much as possible, and private gatherings will be limited to one household and no more than 5 people.

This most stringent lockdown measure in German history was strongly criticized by all sectors of society as soon as it was announced . Under the pressure of public opinion, on the morning of the 24th, Merkel convened a short meeting of state governors on the epidemic, and then apologized to the German people at a press conference and announced the withdrawal of the relevant resolutions on the Easter lockdown .

Merkel said: "It was my fault for changing the resolution and I am willing to take full responsibility." She added: "The entire process of implementing the ban will be full of uncertainty. I deeply regret this and apologize to all citizens for this."

Merkel said that this strict lockdown order was made to control the third wave of the epidemic. However, due to the hasty time, there are still many issues to be discussed, such as how to calculate holiday wages and how shops and businesses adjust their operations. Without careful consideration, the Easter lockdown plan cannot be implemented in a short time.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published a commentary saying that people's trust in the CDU has been shaken and the CDU has fallen into a crisis of confidence.

Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany party, said bluntly: "It's a huge mess! The government's decisions change every day, and the people are worried." Katrin Göring-Eckardt, chair of the Green Party group in the German Bundestag, also jumped out to criticize Merkel: "Admitting mistakes is indeed worthy of respect. But it also shows that the government's crisis management has failed miserably."

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