Germany’s states ‘increasingly taking responsibility’ for coronavirus steps – Merkel

The federal government is monitoring the coronavirus situation in Germany closely but practical responsibility lies increasingly with the 16 states, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. Care must be taken to avoid the virus spreading fast again, she said.

“We are still at start of the pandemic,” Merkel told reporters. “We can see… how fast it can happen that infections spread so we have to be very careful.”

In a separate comment, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday that Merkel cannot confirm her physical presence at an envisaged summit of the Group of Seven (G7) in the United States yet. The decision will depend on how the coronavirus pandemic develops.