Merkel faces rebellion over Christmas rules relaxation as death toll spikes

Shoppers walk past KaDeWe department store in Berlin

Credit: Maja Hitij /Getty Images Europe 

Germans could be facing Christmas under lockdown amid calls to tighten restrictions over the festive season.

“We won’t get through winter with these measures,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a meeting of her Christian Democrat party (CDU) on Monday as infection rates remained steady. “We’re not going to get anywhere on hope alone.”

Germany is currently planning to ease restrictions over Christmas and the New Year by allowing up to 10 people to meet instead of five so families can celebrate together. 

But the German Hospital Association and the Federation of Cities and Municipalities on Monday joined calls to abandon the changes after last Wednesday saw the country’s highest 24-hour death toll yet from the virus — 487 people.

“We’re talking a lot about how we will celebrate Christmas. Well, these people won’t get to celebrate Christmas any more,” said Jens Spahn, the health minister.

The regional government for Berlin has already announced it will only allow five people to meet over Christmas and a number of other cities have introduced night-time curfews. 

Ms Merkel has told regional leaders she is ready to discuss new measures for the Christmas period.

Christmas restrictions are also proving a tricky subject in Spain.

Spanish national and regional health authorities last week agreed that the only people you could travel to meet over the country’s extended festive period, December 23 -January 6, would be family members or “allegados” – an obscure term not in common usage.

“Many of us didn’t understand the term; it is ambiguous and disconcerting,” said Jesús Aguirre, Andalusia’s health chief, after the meeting between Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa and his regional colleagues to agree on the Christmas action plan.

Google Trends shows searches for the meaning of the word skyrocket to trending level over recent days.  

“Everyone knows what ‘allegado’ means,” insisted Mr Illa, a former schoolteacher.

“It is someone with whom, without there being a classical family relationship, the person has a very specific sentimental connection.” 

Mr Illa went on to stress that his government recommended that Spaniards remain in their stable family groups at Christmas, or join people from two or three households at the most.