Germany would amend its infection protection act to "regulate on a nationwide basis" what restrictions would apply when local seven-day Covid-19 incidence exceeded 100 per 100,000 citizens, deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said.
Demmer told a press conference on Friday that it was not yet clear how quickly the change in the law would be implemented, but it would be done "as quickly as possible", reports Xinhua news agency.
In the past, Germany's Covid-19 response has been characterised by regional differences as the ultimate legal power lay with the country's federal states.
Although Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state governments agreed on an emergency brake in case of a seven-day incidence above 100, not all states reacted accordingly in recent weeks.
Earlier on Friday, Minister of Health Jens Spahn and the president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) Lothar Wieler warned that the pandemic situation in Germany was serious as the number of patients in intensive care units was rising rapidly.
Despite the ongoing lockdown and the country's vaccination campaign, new infections rose sharply again.
Germany recorded 25,464 new cases within one day on Friday, around 3,500 more than on the same day last week.
The seven-day incidence rose from around 105.7 per 100,000 citizens on Thursday to 110.4, according to the RKI.
Spahn appealed for uniform nationwide measures.
"I recommend that we all tone down the party squabbling, election year or not, and concentrate on the essentials, fighting the pandemic," he said during the press conference.
--IANS
ksk/
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU