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Germany firmly in the grip of third coronavirus wave, Merkel says
- The German Chancellor urged lawmakers to approve new powers that would allow her to force lockdowns on areas with high infection rates
- The far-right AfD party said the new measures were an unprecedented attack on basic democratic freedoms
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Chancellor Angela Merkel urged lawmakers on Friday to approve new powers that would allow her to force coronavirus lockdowns and curfews on areas with high infection rates, saying a majority of Germans were in favour of stricter measures.
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“The third wave of the pandemic has our country firmly in its grip,” said Merkel, whose speech in parliament was interrupted by heckling from lawmakers of the far-right Alternative for Germany party opposed to lockdowns.
“Intensive care workers are sending one distress call after the other. Who are we to ignore their pleas?” Merkel said.
Her government wants parliament to change the Infection Protection Act to enable federal authorities to enforce restrictions even if regional leaders resist them, hoping to alleviate pressure on intensive care units.
The imposition of curfews and granting the federal government powers to force them on Germany’s 16 states has also drawn criticism from within Merkel’s conservative bloc, which opinion polls suggest will suffer their worst ever result in a September national election.
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