Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the population that the COVID-19 pandemic had entered the “decisive” stage. The best-case scenario that the deadly virus would be stamped out soon has not come true. Amid the coronavirus resurgence, Germany’s economy will hardly survive a second lockdown.
“We are facing a serious challenge, our task is to be able to trace contacts. We are already in a phase of exponential growth, the daily numbers show that,” Angela Merkel said at a press conference after a meeting with the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states. The policymakers agreed on tougher measures to control rampant rates of the infection. At the same time, a second full shutdown will ruin the chance of an economic recovery and throw the national economy a few decades backwards. In 2020, the federal budget is burdened with a €250-billion debt which is likely to go on swelling. According to the Chancellor, for economic reasons, Germany cannot afford a second lockdown like the one imposed in the spring because it unleashed devastating consequences. Angela Merkel urged the population to behave sensibly and observe precautionary measures. Only joint efforts will relieve the pandemic in the nearest weeks, she pinpointed.
Since the early fall, Germany and other European countries have been dealing with the coronavirus resurgence. In Germany, the number of new COVID-19 cases has topped 5,000 per day for the first time since the pandemic outbreak. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is still hesitating to acknowledge the second coronavirus wave. Its experts are worried that lots of people still underestimate the gravity of the coronavirus infection.
