Merkel unexpectedly holds new coronavirus summit with federal states

Update: Angela Merkel and the federal states have decided to scrap the Easter shutdown plan.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has unexpectedly invited the heads of Germany’s 16 federal states to join another switching conference on Wednesday morning. The aim is to discuss the resolutions from Monday’s coronavirus summit, which were met with widespread criticism.

Merkel convenes last-minute coronavirus conference

After the so-called “Easter resolutions” thrashed out at the beginning of the week prompted sharp criticism, the Federal Chancellery has, at short notice, invited the 16 state premiers to another video conference.

Scheduled to take place at 11 am on Wednesday, the purpose of the call is reportedly to discuss how to implement Monday's resolutions, and how to deal with the negative reaction they have provoked. 

"We cannot go on like this"

This was confirmed by the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, who said that the outcome of the deliberations on Monday night had disappointed people. "We cannot go on like this," he said, adding that he wanted to discuss this point "very critically" during the call.  

Above all, ministers are apparently unhappy about the fact that, after hours of negotiations on Tuesday night, they are still unclear about how the central resolution should be implemented. This applies in particular to the plan to declare the Thursday and Saturday before the Easter holiday as "rest days".

Public, economic and private life is to be largely shut down over five days, but the question has not yet been resolved as to whether these prescribed rest days will be treated as public holidays.