Merkel Warns Germany’s Curbs May Get Extended Through Christmas

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the door to extending coronavirus restrictions into December as Germany struggles to regain control of the pandemic.

While rapid increases in new cases have slowed, levels are still too high, Merkel said on Thursday. Germany is looking to reduce cases to 50 per 100,000 people over seven days from 138 currently.

“We all need to be completely reasonable now,” she said during an online discussion with apprentices. “We’re doing everything in order to make progress in December, but we need to get through the tough winter months.”

Germany is in the midst of a partial lockdown, with bars, restaurants and gyms closed in a bid to regain control of the outbreak while keeping most of the economy operating. Merkel had raised hopes that the measures could be eased again in time for Christmas.

But recently the German leader has stepped up warnings about the spread, even as the current wave shows tentative signs of cresting in some parts of Europe. On Wednesday, she said that the virus will keep authorities “busy all winter, even if we now have positive messages about the development of vaccines.”

Read more: Europe’s Economy Will Reopen For Christmas, JPMorgan Predicts

Germany public health authority echoed those comments, warning about health-care services becoming strained as the cases diagnosed weeks ago begin to impact hospitals.

“We need to be prepared for the situation to get worse in coming weeks,” Lothat Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, said separately. “Some clinics may reach their limits. It is possible that patients won’t be able to be cared for optimally everywhere.”

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