According to German media, the consultation that Chancellor Angela Merkel would hold with the states on Monday about the corona measures is cancelled.
The reason is that Merkel and her government are working on a law that will allow them to impose a very strict national lockdown without interference from the states.
The government wants to submit a bill next week. Merkel cites the third wave of the coronavirus as justification for federal intervention.
If the law is passed, Merkel could impose a strict lockdown across the country without the states’ consent. For example, the federal government could take complete control if the number of new infections per week per 100,000 inhabitants rises above 100.
According to a government spokeswoman, the government, the federal states and the leading groups in the Bundestag have already agreed that such a law should be introduced.
Germany has almost 84 million inhabitants, and there are now more than 4,400 corona patients in critical condition. Health authorities are concerned that the third wave of the virus is spiralling out of control. They say they registered 25,000 new infections in 24 hours on Friday.
More than 50 million corona tests have now been carried out in the country, and the virus has been detected in nearly three million people to date. The country attributes 78,000 deaths to Covid-19.