Angela Merkel warns compliance with the corona rules in an Easter message

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Also this year, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) addressed the population and called on them before Easter to continue to consistently adhere to all Corona regulations on contact restrictions.

"Yes, unfortunately it will have to be another Easter with some restrictions," Merkel added in her video podcast on Thursday, saying what many were already expecting.

She knows that there is also a "great disappointment" in this.

"We had all wished for more freedom for Easter."

But then Merkel said: “With our behavior we can slow down, stop and then reverse the strong growth in the number of infections.

That's what Easter is about this year too. ”Doctors and nurses could not win the fight against the third wave of the pandemic on their own.

"We shouldn't leave them alone, we should support them with our behavior", appealed the Chancellor and added: "We will defeat the virus together."

For the next few days this means, above all, "that it should be a quiet Easter, one in a small circle, with very few contacts," said Merkel.

But urgently ask people to “refrain from all non-mandatory trips”.

At the same time, she wanted to encourage courage, "because this once again really difficult phase of the pandemic is different than it began a year ago." Merkel referred to two "solid helpers" that did not exist at this time last year - the corona Tests and the vaccinations.

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Merkel emphasized that the coronavirus mutations in particular had made the situation worse.

It is not true that the measures have brought nothing: "If we were still mainly dealing with the original coronavirus today, the number of cases would now be very low."

Tests and vaccinations as a beacon of hope

Like Easter 2020 and before Christmas, the main goal must be "to protect the health of as many people as possible and to do everything so that our health system can withstand the enormous challenge," said Merkel.

While testing will help control the pandemic, vaccination is key to overcoming the pandemic.

"Even the change in the vaccination campaign after the changed recommendation for the AstraZeneca vaccine does not change anything."

April will bring big steps forward in vaccination.

Every week, millions of people would have more safe and highly effective protection against corona disease.

Before the second Easter in the pandemic, she wanted to tell people "that with everything we have to do without again and again, there is also light and hope".