BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged parliament Friday to pass a bill that would mandate a nationwide “emergency brake” when the spread of the coronavirus becomes too rapid, saying that it was needed to prevent the country's health care system from becoming overwhelmed. “The situation is serious, very serious, and we need to take it seriously,” she told lawmakers. “There is no way around it.
We need to stop this third wave of the pandemic... and to achieve this we need to better combine the strengths of the federal, state and local governments than we have been.” Passing the bill is an uphill battle for Merkel, with state governments reluctant to cede any authority over health care to the federal government.