Merkel warns ‘still at the beginning’ of COVID-19 crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the coronavirus pandemic is “still at the beginning” and has warned her country: “We will be living with this virus for a long time.”

Mrs Merkel said she understood the urge to relax coronavirus restrictions as soon as possible, but moving too quickly risked setting back what had already been achieved.

In a speech to parliament on Thursday, she urged the country to be resilient, and said even though the numbers of new infections were starting to slow, more needed to be done in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We are not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning,” she said.

“We will be living with this virus for a long time.”

She said: “Let us not squander what we have achieved and risk a setback.

“It would be a shame if premature hope ultimately punishes us all.

Mrs Merkel said she understood that it felt like the country had been in lockdown for a long time.

She said it would remain difficult for some time yet, but that Germany’s health system was coping with the pandemic so far.

“We have won time,” she said.

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