German leaders, in transition, meet to mull virus measures

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her likely successor have met with state governors to consider tighter rules to curb coronavirus infections that again topped 70,000 newly confirmed cases in a 24-hour period. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he backs a general vaccine mandate but favors letting lawmakers vote according to their personal conscience rather than party lines on the matter. Scholz is expected to be elected chancellor by a center-left coalition next week. The rise in COVID-19 cases over the past weeks and the arrival of the new omicron variant have prompted warnings from scientists and doctors that medical services in the country could become overstretched in the coming weeks unless drastic action is taken.