Germany ramps up national coronavirus lockdown ahead of Christmas

Germany has ratcheted up its pandemic restrictions ahead of Christmas in an effort to cut the stubbornly high rate of coronavirus infections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country’s governors had agreed to step up the country’s lockdown measures from Wednesday until at least January 10 to stop an exponential rise of COVID-19 cases.

“We are forced to act and we’re acting,” Ms Merkel said, noting that existing restrictions imposed in November had failed to significantly reduce the number of new…