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The decision to impose restrictions on public life in the face of the coronavirus outbreak was one of the hardest choices of her chancellorship, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told German lawmakers on Thursday.

"This pandemic is an imposition to democracy," Merkel said, according to DW.

Last week Germany extended until May 3 most of the restrictions it had imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19, though some shops have reopened and older school children will be allowed to return to class.

The measures have thus far allowed Germany to avoid overwhelming its health care system with coronavirus patients, as has been the fate in France and Italy.

But the chancellor cautioned not to be too hasty in a return to normal life.

"We're not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning," she said. "We will be living with this virus for a long time."

Merkel called for lawmakers and the people of Germany to have patience and discipline now in order to avoid a potential catastrophe were the economy to reopen too soon. Disciple now would result in a quicker return to normal economic activity, she said.

Speaking about the need for European unity, the chancellor said that Germany must be prepared to contribute "significantly" to the EU budget in order to shore up the bloc against the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.

Speaking before lawmakers at the Bundestag in Berlin, Merkel said that, in the spirit of solidarity and as Europe's largest economy, Germany should be prepared to pay more into the EU budget.

"Europe isn't Europe when it doesn't think of itself as Europe," she said.