Merkel urges Germans to celebrate ‘quiet Easter’

Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging Germans to celebrate a “quiet Easter” in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

“It should be a quiet Easter, with those closest to you, with very reduced contact,” Merkel said in a video message to German citizens, Reuters reported.

“I urge you to refrain from all nonessential travel,” she added.

Merkel also said in the video that reducing travel will help medical professionals deal with the virus and prevent a third wave of the coronavirus from hitting the nation as cases in Germany continue to tick upward.

The German chancellor’s comments come after she apologized last month for announcing the implementation of a five-day nationwide lockdown during Easter.

“The idea … was a mistake — there were good reasons for it but it could not be implemented well enough in this short time,” she said at the time.

“This mistake is my mistake alone, because in the end I bear ultimate responsibility for everything,” she added. “A mistake must be called a mistake, and above all it must be corrected — and if possible, that has to happen in time.”

Germany has seen more than 2.8 million reported cases of the coronavirus and more than 76,000 deaths.