The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party shares the German population's fears of a severe economic crisis as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and demands that the government acts faster to reopen the economy, party member Albert Breininger told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party shares the German population's fears of a severe economic crisis as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and demands that the government acts faster to reopen the economy, party member Albert Breininger told Sputnik.
Over recent days, anti-lockdown protests against the German government's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak and continuous restrictive measures have taken place in the cities of Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart, and Breininger stated that he shared the public's frustrations.
"We understand the fatigue and frustration over the restrictions. We also fear the severe economic crisis ahead of us. Therefore, we call on the authorities to allow businesses to reopen," he said.
The politician predicted that a significant number of German businesses and firms, especially in the food, hospitality, and tourism sectors, will go bankrupt in the months to follow as the country's population tightens their household budgets.
"Yes, restaurants, cafes were allowed to serve customers again but they are forced to obey social distancing. For many businesses it means working at very low capacity," the lawmaker stated.
Breininger referred to an incident that took place a week ago in the town of Kandel which saw Peter Bolze, the owner of the Naturfreundehaus Bienwald hotel complex, burn restaurant furniture in front of the establishment in protest against the lockdown measures that have forced his business to close.
According to the lawmaker, Bolze justified his actions by complaining that the government had, at first, allowed his restaurant to reopen. However, one day later, officials ordered the closure of the restaurant for failing to meet the necessary hygiene requirements. Bolze stated that he would not be able to comply with all the social distancing criteria since his restaurant operates on a self-service basis.
All restaurants, bars, and food kiosks in Germany have been allowed to reopen since May 9. However, restaurateurs are more afraid of a partial opening than a complete closure, Breininger stated, as many tables must remain empty due to the strict social distancing regulations.
"As a result, businesses will only be able to operate at 30 to 50 percent capacity compared to usual," Breininger stated.
The AfD politician criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the government for exploiting fears and medical statistics by threatening to reimpose restrictions if the infection rate rises.
"Merkel acts like our mother. She threatens to retighten measures, sighting a brief uptick in the basic reproduction number to above the critical threshold of one. However, the concerns are, as of today, groundless as this fresh rise is directly connected to the fact that more tests were conducted recently with the intention to justify lockdown policies," the lawmaker said.
Breininger emphasized that the AfD was the first party in Germany that, in February, urged the authorities to close the country's borders in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Germany has begun a gradual easing of the lockdown restrictions that were imposed in March to slow the spread of the disease. Shops and schools have reopened as have playgrounds, churches, and museums. The country's topflight soccer league, the Bundesliga, also resumed action this past weekend.
