Mandatory lockdowns vital to curbing Germany's third wave: Merkel

[April 13, 2021]  BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday said her decision to ask parliament for temporary powers that enables her government to enforce nationwide coronavirus lockdowns was necessary to curb a third wave of the pandemic in Germany.

"For the situation to improve we need to stop the third wave, break it, and reverse it, and the measures to fight the pandemic need to be stricter," Merkel said during a news conference after the cabinet approved a draft law enabling a mandatory nationwide "emergency brake" if the number of new infections per 100,000 residents in a district or city exceeds 100 for three consecutive days within a week.

"One thing is helping us enormously: as we prepare for those restrictions, the vaccination campaign is in progress and building momentum every day."

(Writing by Joseph Nasr, editing by Kirsti Knolle)

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