OREANDA-NEWS. The head of North Rhine-Westphalia and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, Armin Laschet, called for a "transitional" lockdown in the country to combat the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since November 2 last year, a nationwide regime of restrictive measures has been in effect in Germany, which began to be mitigated in February-March. Against the background of the beginning of the third wave in March, the authorities planned to introduce an "Easter" lockdown in order to "break" the third wave, but this decision was canceled after criticism of the opposition. As a result, different regimes of restrictive measures operate in different regions.

As Laschet told a press conference on Monday, “We need a transitional lockdown, we need to build a bridge by the time many citizens are vaccinated. I know that many are tired of the pandemic, but also that many are ready to go one step further, to be in a new phase of the pandemic in May and June. "

He explained that this is necessary due to the high incidence and expert assessments that indicate that mass testing for COVID-19 and contact tracing as a method of controlling the spread of the virus only work with low incidence. Laschet noted that such a new lockdown could also include a curfew - now imposed by local and regional authorities.

According to him, the lockdown can last two to three weeks. He also called for the active use of remote work opportunities and not open catering establishments for visiting.