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Germany is ‘in the most dangerous phase of the pandemic’, says Merkel aide

Germany has to take control of the infection rate in the next few weeks or risk new vaccine-resistant mutations, said Angela Merkel's chief of staff on Sunday.

Germany is 'in the most dangerous phase of the pandemic', says Merkel aide
Merkel's chief of staff warns it's essential to get the virus under control now - or start from scratch with vaccinations. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

“The next few weeks will determine whether we can foreseeably get the pandemic under control,” top government aide, Helge Braun, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

If the number of coronavirus cases increase sharply again, there is the danger that the next virus mutation could be resistant to the vaccine, Braun warned.

 “Then we would need new vaccines, then we would have to start vaccinating all over again,” he added.

In addition to bringing down infection rates, Braun, who is also a doctor, recommended imposing night-time curfews in areas with high infection rates.

Regions that would qualify for this restriction are areas where the number of cases exceed 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days: “That’s where regional curfews in the evening and at night can help, because we have the highest infection rates at meetings in people’s homes,” he said.

The rising Coronavirus cases over the past week in Germany.

READ ALSO: One year on: The charts and maps that explain the state of the pandemic in Germany

The government aide also recommended that companies test all employees for Covid-19 twice a week.

Germany is facing a steep rise in coronavirus infections, in part pushed by a combination of the new variants of the virus and moves to ease restrictions.

After public criticism, Merkel reversed her plans for a strict Easter lockdown to stem a third wave of Coronavirus infections.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) speaks to German Chief of Staff Helge Braun. (Photo by Markus Schreiber / POOL / AFP)

The measures were widely seen as the strictest the country had experienced since the beginning of the pandemic. They were intended to last from Thursday 1st April until Monday 5th April and would have seen most of public life closed, including supermarkets, on all days except Sunday.

Following a backlash and calls for a vote in confidence, Merkel did a U-turn, citing that the lockdown could not have been implemented well enough.

READ ALSO: LATEST: Berlin refuses to go back into hard shutdown despite high infection rate

However, Braun said harsh restrictions over Easter were crucial to reduce the cases of infections. On Saturday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 20,472, while the death toll rose by 157, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases.

Despite his calls for urgent action, Braun is optimistic about the chance of a “normal summer” and expects the infections to be under control by May, thanks to a combination of the vaccination rollout and the warmer weather.

“By Whitsun (May 23rd) we will see the first positive effects – provided the situation doesn’t get out of hand by then,” he said.

Braun’s plea comes after Health minister Jens Spahn asked people in Germany to “ideally” only meet outside in the run-up to Easter.

Current rules allow for gatherings of up to two households, or five people excluding children under the age of 14. The measure also applies over the Easter holidays, which remains in place from Friday April 2nd to Monday April 5th.

READ ALSO: This is Germany’s five-step plan to head out of shutdown

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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