Constantin Eckner

Merkel’s blundering lockdown U-turn

During her 16 years in office, Angela Merkel has produced a couple of memorable sentences that will be imprinted into her legacy. She added a few more on Wednesday, when she announced that the government rescinds plans of a radical Easter shutdown, saying: ‘This mistake is my mistake alone.’

Merkel’s CDU is rapidly losing the support of voters — their approval rating has dropped 9 per cent to just 26 within a week

It is quite remarkable to see a leader taking the full blame for what has been perceived as a hasty and impetuous decision. Merkel and Germany’s 16 state premiers had agreed on a radical lockdown over the Easter holidays in yet another attempt to curb the rise of coronavirus infections. But the planned shutdown was met with public anger and a backbench rebellion in Merkel’s party. Uncharacteristically for her time as German Chancellor, the pressure became so intense that Merkel saw herself compelled to U-turn on the agreement she had forced through at talks with the state premiers only two days earlier. ‘The idea of an Easter shutdown was created with the best of intentions,’ she said, admitting that the plan was not well thought out and almost impossible to be implemented within a week. She also admitted that the announcement of the shutdown had created even more confusion among citizens than there already was. ‘I deeply regret that and ask all citizens to forgive me.’

Under the proposed plans, all shops and businesses would have closed from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday, and people had been urged to remain at home. Supermarkets and grocery shops would have been permitted to open for one day on Saturday so people can stock up on provisions.

Merkel’s U-turn was met with mixed reactions. Some Germans welcomed the decision; some saw it as yet another sign of how chaotic the country’s response to the pandemic has become; and some were astonished by her inability to employ radical measures in light of an approaching third wave.

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