Angela Merkel seeks Germany’s COVID-19 restrictions extension into April

People hold a banner reading ‘Corona deniers out of the neighborhood’ as they attend a counter-protest during a rally against the German government’s restrictions following the coronavirus outbreak on March 20, 2021. (Reuters)

• The restrictions would be prolonged until a yet-to-be-determined date in April

FRANKFURT: Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to extend Germany’s anti-COVID restrictions into April as the country battles a third wave of the virus, according to a government memo obtained by AFP on Sunday.
The restrictions would be prolonged until a yet-to-be-determined date in April due to the high rate of infections at present, which are being “accelerated by COVID-19 variants,” the document said.
The memo is set to serve as the basis of a meeting between Merkel and regional leaders on Monday.