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Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) defended the new Corona “emergency brake” as urgently needed.

The planned measures are tough, she said on Saturday in her weekly video podcast.

But there are no less stressful ways to break and reverse the third corona wave.

Merkel appealed to the population to adhere to the measures.

"If we can now manage to reduce the infections significantly and quickly, loosening will be possible step by step in the foreseeable future," she explained.

"Let us now do what is necessary again and show everyone together consideration and responsibility."

Germany is in the middle of the third wave, stressed the Chancellor.

There is therefore no alternative to the rules of the so-called corona emergency brake that have been in force since Saturday.

"No country that has managed to break the third wave of the pandemic and then relax has managed to do so without first tough measures such as night exit restrictions." Only with the nationwide restrictions decided this week is it possible in a foreseeable time to come down again from the very high corona infection rates.

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The more contagious virus variant has also established itself in this country, the Robert Koch Institute reports as high numbers of new infections and intensive care patients every day as in the tense days of winter.

"And what we hear from the doctors and the nursing staff are real calls for help," she said.

"We - the state, society, the citizens - we all have to help."

She also added: "Our vaccination campaign is picking up speed - it is the key to overcoming the pandemic".

So far, around seven percent of people in Germany have been fully vaccinated.

The percentage of people who received the first dose of a Covid 19 vaccine was given by the Robert Koch Institute on Saturday at 22.8 percent.

The federal corona emergency brake has been in place in numerous cities and districts since Saturday. In areas where the seven-day incidence was above 100 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, there is a curfew between midnight and 5:00 a.m. for important reasons such as caring for relatives, caring for animals, emergencies or work Make exceptions if necessary.