Merkel Warns of Virus-Relapse Risk as Germany Eases Curbs

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that public discussion about easing restrictions to contain the coronavirus risked sparking a new wave of infections even as Germany took its first tentative steps toward normalcy.

In a closed-door meeting of her Christian Democratic party on Monday in Berlin, she said “orgies” of opening discussions threatened to destroy the progress in fighting the pandemic, according to a participant, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.

While Merkel made clear that her government currently doesn’t plan any further restrictions, that option remains on the table, saying the next steps will be decided when she meets with leaders of Germany’s 16 states on April 30. The German chancellor also pointed out that the more relevant date would be May 8, when the impact of the current easing steps become evident.

At the meeting, Merkel expressed her hope that people would continue to follow rules designed to limit contact between people, but that she was skeptical about the latest developments.

The unusually blunt comments indicate Merkel’s unease as the country embarks on what will be a critical test of Europe’s ability to recover from the crisis.

After weeks on stringent lockdown, smaller stores across the region’s largest economy were allowed to reopen on Monday after a month-long shutdown deprived German retailers of 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in sales and pushed many shops to the brink of bankruptcy.

The country is among the first in Europe to cautiously revive business activity as the pandemic continues to shutter factories, restaurants and shops from Madrid to Prague.

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany rose by the least this month, with 2,018 new infections in the 24 hours through Monday morning, taking the total to 145,742, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The number of fatalities rose by 104, the lowest since April 1, to 4,642.

Germany’s initial steps to ease restrictions vary by state. While Frankfurt’s home state of Hesse is pushing ahead, Berlin is waiting until Wednesday and Bavaria is delaying its cautious reopening until next Monday. The uneven efforts are driven in part by political jockeying to replace Merkel after she steps down following national elections slated for next year.

Merkel’s closest allies warned people to carefully stick to social-distancing rules or risk sparking a new surge in infections and tougher restrictions.

“Now it is a matter of transferring the discipline that we have shown at home to other areas,” Helge Braun, the chancellor’s chief of staff, told the DPA news agency. If the number of infections increased too much again, «more restrictions would become necessary, otherwise a vicious circle would arise.”

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