Germany to extend curbs into April 1

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to extend german curbs into April 18.

She wants night-curfews in regions with high infection rates asEurope continues to grapple with resurgent coronavirus infections

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters angry at Covid-19 restrictions have rallied in cities across Europe over the weekend, even as several nations reimposed partial lockdowns to fight new surges in infections.

A memo from several of Germany's regions, seen by AFP news agency, said the country's partial lockdown should be extended into April because of rising infection rates driven by Covid variants.

Market implications

The euro has suffered while restrictions have been stepped up in countries such as Italy and the European Central Bank has maintained a dovish tone.