*鈥榃e have to get stricter or in 14 days we鈥檒l be back where we were before,鈥� says German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Having struggled to curb the spread of second wave of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country over time, Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that Germany鈥檚 management of the pandemic has 鈥渟lipped out of control鈥�, and stricter curbs are needed to prevent a new wave of the disease.

The German Chancellor Sunday, January 24 during a video conference of CDU/CSU officials, was quoted to have said the potential threat from faster-spreading variants means Germany is 鈥渟itting on a powder keg,鈥� Bild newspaper stated.

鈥淲e have to get stricter or in 14 days we鈥檒l be back where we were before,鈥� Merkel said.

Recall Germany has been in partial lockdown since the beginning of November 2020, with schools mostly closed, non-essential stores shuttered, and travel reduced to a minimum until at least February 14.

The measures appear to be working, with the seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people falling to 107.6, from a high of almost 200 on December 22, according to the latest data from the RKI public-health institute.

However, that鈥檚 more than double the level the government has determined to be manageable, according to report.

Described as a 鈥榮tubborn outbreak鈥�, Germany hitherto has struggled to contain the spread of the Coronavirus

But the Chancellor noted that more needs to be done, including to curtail travel as much as possible, to avoid a surge in infection rates triggered by the new mutations in the country.

According to Merkel, reopening stores in mid-February is 鈥渘ot assured,鈥� and Germany would first open schools and daycare centres, followed by stores and then restaurants.

In a related development, Germany has urged the European Union (EU) to limit vaccine exports as a worsening standoff with AstraZeneca Plc and underwhelming inoculation campaigns threaten to prolong recession-inducing lockdowns across the bloc.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn Tuesday, January 26, 2021, in an interview on ZDF television, said an export limitation for vaccines produced in the EU would 鈥渕ake sense.鈥�

Vaccines leaving the EU 鈥渘eed a licence, so we know at least what鈥檚 produced in Europe and what leaves Europe, where it goes, and if there鈥檚 fair distribution,鈥� stated Spahn.

The comments come after the European Commission Monday proposed requiring drugmakers to flag exports of Coronavirus vaccines in advance.

The so-called 鈥渢ransparency mechanism鈥� follows a disclosure by AstraZeneca that planned deliveries of its COVID-19 jab would face delays.

The EU鈥檚 executive arm says that this would mean significantly fewer deliveries this quarter than what was foreseen in the advance purchase agreement struck between the two sides last summer. The setback follows a production disruption at a Pfizer Inc. factory in Belgium that reduced vaccine deliveries to member countries last week.

Report indicates the news threatens to derail EU鈥檚 vaccination campaign, which already lags behind the US and the United Kingdom (UK) in terms of the share of the population immunised so far.

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