Merkel Says Pandemic Has ‘Slipped Out of Control,’ Bild Reports

Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that Germany’s management of the coronavirus pandemic has “slipped out of control” and stricter curbs are needed to prevent a new wave of the disease, Bild newspaper reported.

Merkel said the potential threat from faster-spreading variants means Germany is “sitting on a powder keg,” Bild quoted her as saying Sunday during a video conference of CDU/CSU officials. “We have to get stricter or in 14 days we’ll be back where we were before,” she added, according to the paper.