Angela Merkel urged to lift coronavirus lockdown as German death count drops to 126 and violence breaks out

ANGELA Merkel is under pressure to reopen schools and factories this week after violence erupted in a backlash at lockdown measures.

The Chancellor is set to rule on whether to extend restrictions as the number of coronavirus deaths in the country continued to fall.

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Germany reported 2,082 new confirmed Covid-19 cases today – the fewest since March 22 – marking a fourth day of decline in new infections.

However, the daily death toll of 170 is higher than yesterday’s 126, bringing the total from 2,799 to 2,969.

The encouraging stats emerged after reports of thugs attacking police who were enforcing social distancing rules.

One group in Frankfurt attacked cops with iron bars when they tried to disperse the crowd.

Another group of 20 attacked an officer with stones and roof tiles and iron bars, Deutsche Welle reported.

Germany has weathered the pandemic better than Italy, Spain, France and the UK where the death toll is much higher.

But its industrial powerhouse economy is set to take a heavy blow as it is reliant on exports which have fallen drastically.

Regional politicians are due to meet Mrs Merkel on Wednesday to discuss a path out of the lockdown, which is in place until at least April 19.

The Chancellor has said the decision will be guided by recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

It delivered a report today suggesting schools should reopen as soon as possible, starting with primary and middle schools, although it said nurseries should stay closed.

Scientists also recommended reopening shops and restaurants as long as social distancing measures are rigorously respected, and for government offices to get back to work.

The head of the Academy, Gerald Haug, said this could only happen along with by an obligation to wear face masks on public transport to prevent a second wave of infections.

He said: “Every citizen should in the future have this type of protection for their mouth and nose and wear it each time social distancing measures can’t be respected,” he Der Spiegel.

Armin Laschet, the conservative governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, called for “a responsible return to normalcy”.

He said small retailers could potentially reopen following the model in place for bakeries with only two customers at a time.

Dietmar Woidke, governor of Brandenburg, called for a more cautious approach to avoid the risk of undoing the gains Germany has made in combating the virus.

Germany’s economy is forecast to shrink by 9.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, the biggest decline since records began in 1970 and more than double the fall in the 2009 global crash.