Prognosis

Tighter German Lockdown Looms as Virus Rates Remain High

  • Merkel meeting with state premiers likely before Christmas
  • Chancellor wants to close shops after Christmas, Bild says

Shoppers walk along Kurfurstendamm in central Berlin on Dec. 6.

Photographer: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Lock
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Germany is looking to impose tougher measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic after a soft shutdown failed to bring contagion rates down to manageable levels.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told legislators in the CDU-CSU parliamentary caucus that the current, partial lockdown is insufficient and needs to be revised with the heads of the country’s 16 states, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be named because they were private.