Can the centre hold? Germany looks to its Covid-stricken high streets

Minister battles to rescue retailers amid fears for 50,000 shops and hundreds of thousands of jobsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe stakes for Germany’s high streets could not be greater when the economics minister, Peter Altmaier, summons trade representatives across the country this month for a series of crisis workshops to discuss how to save them from collapse.In Germany, as elsewhere across Europe and beyond, the coronavirus pandemic has blown a hug