Angela Merkel cancels Germany’s Easter lockdown, says decision ‘was a mistake’

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rescinded her earlier orders to impose a strict lockdown in the country over the Easter holiday.

Merkel says the planned five-day lockdown was a “mistake”.

The u-turn came after a hastily arranged crisis meeting over a video conference on Wednesday with Germany’s 16 state governors, who are responsible for imposing and lifting restrictions.

The German leaders had previously agreed that almost all shops were to be closed from April 1 to 5, with only grocers allowed to open on Saturday, April 3.