Correspondent in Berlin
Faced with the "exponential" growth of the epidemic, the German government and the sixteen Länder had resolved on Tuesday to a modest turn of the sanitary screw during the Easter weekend.
Nothing insurmountable a priori: closing of churches and shops from March 1 to 5, excluding Saturdays for food shops.
But for public opinion, it was already too much.
Twenty-four hours after announcing these measures, Angela Merkel abruptly gave up on Wednesday ... asking "
forgiveness
" from her fellow citizens.
In a few words, the image of a chancellor experienced in crisis management was torn.
"
This error was only mine ... It must be recognized as such and above all corrected
", apologized, eyes darkened, the head of government, worn out by the German press.
Panic
Very quickly, the idea of closing stores for just four days had appeared absurd, with many anticipating a premature influx of consumers, at the risk of spreading the epidemic.
"
We cannot decree public holidays ten days in advance,
" agreed the new president of the CDU, Armin Laschet.
This about-face reflects above all the state of panic that has literally seized the Conservative Party, whose government management, through the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, is considered erratic.
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In the morning, a survey by the Forsa Institute credited the Chancellor's training with 26% of voting intentions in the September legislative elections, a drop of eleven points in a month and a half.
The idea of a forthcoming coalition government bringing together the Greens, the first beneficiaries of the crisis, and the SPD, excluding the CDU, is emerging.
The effectiveness of federalism is called into question.
Monday, fearing a stagnation, even a failure of negotiations, Angela Merkel had suggested at least the idea of a paschal semi-containment.
The proposal was adopted, then immediately criticized
The tenors of Christian democracy have defended the head-to-tail operated by Angela Merkel and expressed "
great respect
" for it.
But the end of the chancellor's mandate looks more and more like a Stations of the Cross.
Partisan of a strict sanitary discipline with regard to the pandemic, it clashes head-on with the presidents of the regions who - more sensitive to the economic interests and the state of mood of the population - intend to assert their decision-making autonomy. .
The effectiveness of federalism is called into question.
Monday, fearing a stagnation, even a failure of negotiations, Angela Merkel had suggested at least the idea of a paschal semi-containment.
The proposal was adopted, then immediately criticized.
Focus on vaccination
Home Secretary Horst Seehofer, who represents the Bavarian conservative wing (CSU) in the coalition, was indignant that a Christian-inspired party could agree to a closure of churches at Easter (Masses were to be celebrated remote).
The SPD and the CDU distanced themselves from a political decision that their regional leaders had endorsed.
In the Bundestag, three parties (radical left, AfD and FDP) demanded a vote of confidence against the Chancellor.
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Only the head of the CSU, Markus Söder, Armin Laschet's putative rival in the race for the chancellery, and a supporter like Merkel of strict sanitary measures, suggested that the latter was not the only one to blame.
As 15,900 new cases have been recorded and mutants of the virus grow, Berlin has no concrete new plans to offer.
Adding to the cacophony, leaders continue to dissuade their fellow citizens from traveling as photos of Germans basking on Mallorca's beaches grab the headlines.
In the absence of new measures, the incidence rate - close to 100 - could reach 200 by mid-April.
Now, the government seems to be betting everything on vaccination and is pressuring the EU to speed up the marketing of the Russian vaccine Sputnik.