Merkel Reaches Deal to Extend German Virus Curbs Until March 28

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel and German state leaders agreed to extend most lockdown curbs until March 28 amid stubbornly high infection rates, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

After seven hours of tense talks on Wednesday, officials have yet to agree on a path to unwind restrictions on Europe’s largest economy, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are ongoing.

Some state leaders are resisting the chancellery’s proposals to link looser restrictions to targets for the seven-day incidence rate, the person said.

For months, Merkel tied easing Germany’s lockdown to slowing the coronavirus spread to 50 new infections per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. She lowered that to 35 amid concerns about more aggressive strains from Britain, Brazil and South Africa.

The latest figure edged down to 64 on Wednesday, roughly the level it’s been at for three weeks, according to data from the RKI public health institute.

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