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Merkel Dubs UK Strain 'British Virus', Expects Germany Lockdown Extension
extra.ie
Angela Merkel has dubbed the UK strain of COVID-19 as the ‘British’ as she expects Germany’s lockdown to extend for at least two months.
Her words echo that of US President Donald Trump, who faces impeachment, after he labelled COVID-19 the ‘China virus’.
The German Chancellor warned Germany faces hard lockdown measures into late March if authorities fail to contain the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus.
Angela Merkel has dubbed the UK strain of COVID-19 as the ‘British’ as she expects Germany’s lockdown to extend for at least two months. Pic: Michael Kappeler/Pool via REUTERS
According to Euronews’ Darren McCaffrey, Merkel said: ‘If we don’t manage to stop this British virus, then we will have 10 times the number of cases by Easter.
‘We need eight to 10 more weeks of tough measures.’
If we don’t manage to stop this British virus, then we will have 10 times the number of cases by Easter. Pic: Andreas Gora – Pool/Getty Images
Elsewhere Merkel hit out at Twitter for banning the US President from the platform.
On Friday, the social media giant permanently suspended Trump’s account.
Merkel slandered the move, saying it was a ‘problematic’ breach of the ‘fundamental right to free speech’.
Elsewhere Merkel hit out at Twitter for banning the US President from the platform. Pic: REUTERS/Michele Tantussi
Merkel said through her spokesman that the US government should follow Germany’s lead in adopting laws that restrict online incitement, rather than leaving it up to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to make up their own rules.
The Chancellor’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said free speech was a ‘fundamental right of vital importance’ that could be restricted, ‘but only in accordance with the laws and within a framework defined by the legislator – not by the decision of the management of social media platforms’.
For that reason, he continued, the Chancellor found it ‘problematic’ that Trump’s account was permanently suspended.
extra.ie
Angela Merkel has dubbed the UK strain of COVID-19 as the ‘British’ as she expects Germany’s lockdown to extend for at least two months.
Her words echo that of US President Donald Trump, who faces impeachment, after he labelled COVID-19 the ‘China virus’.
The German Chancellor warned Germany faces hard lockdown measures into late March if authorities fail to contain the fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus.
According to Euronews’ Darren McCaffrey, Merkel said: ‘If we don’t manage to stop this British virus, then we will have 10 times the number of cases by Easter.
‘We need eight to 10 more weeks of tough measures.’
Elsewhere Merkel hit out at Twitter for banning the US President from the platform.
On Friday, the social media giant permanently suspended Trump’s account.
Merkel slandered the move, saying it was a ‘problematic’ breach of the ‘fundamental right to free speech’.
Merkel said through her spokesman that the US government should follow Germany’s lead in adopting laws that restrict online incitement, rather than leaving it up to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to make up their own rules.
The Chancellor’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said free speech was a ‘fundamental right of vital importance’ that could be restricted, ‘but only in accordance with the laws and within a framework defined by the legislator – not by the decision of the management of social media platforms’.
For that reason, he continued, the Chancellor found it ‘problematic’ that Trump’s account was permanently suspended.
