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Germany Moves to Slow Virus With Empty Stadiums, Furlough Pay

  • Merkel’s government seeks to buy time as fallout spreads
  • First deaths in Germany add urgency to response efforts
Germany Confirms Four Coronavirus Cases
Photographer: Michaela Handrek-Rehle/Bloomberg
Updated on

Germany stepped up efforts to protect companies and workers after the coronavirus hit home on Monday with the first two reported deaths.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration will make it easier for businesses to apply for aid to offset wages during furloughs, reviving measures that helped prevent large-scale layoffs during the 2008 financial crisis.