(Bloomberg) -- A cabinet-level meeting under Chancellor Angela Merkel to tackle the pandemic was canceled on Monday amid political jostling after an eastern German state broke ranks with its plans to lift lockdown measures.
Merkel's crisis management of Germany's 16 states came under renewed pressure after the premier of the eastern state of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, floated plans to abandon restrictions after June 5 and rely on local authorities and individuals to maintain hygiene requirements. A minister in Saxony said the eastern state may follow suit.
Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the meeting was canceled because “individual issues were simply not yet ready for consultation.” The group will revisit the topic on Wednesday. Merkel's chief of staff, Helge Braun, is moving forward with plans to extend rules beyond June 5. The proposal includes extending social distancing rules and the use of face masks through July 5, local media reported.
Thuringia's unilateral move drew a sharp rebuke from the leadership of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, with senior CDU state leaders saying it sent the wrong signal. Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, said authorities in harder-hit regions will now come under increased pressure to follow Thuringia's example, according to a participant in the CDU leadership meeting who asked not to be identified. Laschet's office declined to comment on the episode.
Merkel didn't address Ramelow's go-it-alone approach, the participant said.
The general secretary of Germany's Social Democrats, Merkel's junior coalition partner, said Ramelow's decision was misplaced.
“I would expect from a politician that you lead and give orientation, and not be led by a few thousand people who show up in the streets with conspiracy theories,” Lars Klingbeil told Bild.
Early in May state leaders had already challenged Merkel by jumping the gun in easing restrictions. The chancellor's approval ratings had soared during the crisis.
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