'Germany didn't act fast enough amid signs of 2nd wave'

BERLIN: In an address to the German Bundestag (Parliament), Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that her government did not act fast enough and was "too hesitant" in its handling of the second COVID-19 wave in the country. "We didn't shut down public life early enough or systematically enough amid signs of a second wave and warnings from various scientists," she said on Thursday. After an easing of the COVID-19 situation in Germany last summer, the number of infections increased again in the autumn when the second wave hit the country, Xinhua news agency reported. "Then we were not careful enough and not fast enough," Merkel acknowledged. The number of new COVID-19 infections remained below the previous week's level with 10,237 new infections reported on Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said. To date, 2,321,225 cases have been officially registered in Germany since the outbreak of the pandemic, while the death toll stood at 63,858. (IANS)

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