Pandemic
First Lockdown five years ago – what remains?
There were restrictions and requirements like never before in the Federal Republic: In order to control the first Corona wave, institutions had to close for weeks. That had followed.
Schools and daycare centers, restaurants and shops tightly, theater, hairdressers and sports fields too: Five years ago, everyday life throughout Germany in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus was completed in an unprecedented manner. With decisions on March 16 and 22, 2020, the federal and state governments imposed a first “lockdown” to prevent infections. Later in pandemic, further such phases followed for several weeks. In retrospect, the Lockdowns find the majority of acceptance according to a survey – but there are still discussions about this.
How exactly did Lockdown come about?
In order to break the first wave of infection, protective requirements were already in force and most schools were closed. On March 16, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Prime Minister and Prime Minister agreed “Guidelines for a uniform approach” – with closures of facilities, distance rules and travel restrictions. One round on March 22nd tightened the measures. For restaurants, it was no longer necessary to close from 6 p.m. at the latest, but: “Gastronomy businesses are closed”, except for feeding and delivering.
The term “lockdown” was not on everyone’s lips in the early phase of pandemic, it only gradually prevailed. In the narrower sense, it means “output lock” or “demarcation”, but then became the catchphrase for the broadly created shutdown of public life. Merkel did not use the word when she campaigned for acceptance for the drastic restrictions in an unusual television speech on March 18, 2020. “It is about slowing down the virus on its way through Germany,” said Merkel and spent the urgent warning: “It is serious. Take it seriously too.”
How did the Lockdown work?
It took until the beginning of May 2020 to relax again. So all shops were allowed to open, but with mask obligation and customer limits. “We can encourage ourselves, but we have to stay careful,” said Merkel. In retrospect, she also justified the general Corona course. The alternative would have been to expose all people in a short time of the disease and to watch the health system collapsed, Merkel wrote in her memories. “We would have risked the death of many, especially the old and previous ill, if not approved.”
What else is part of the Lockdown record?
The big goal was to preserve the healthcare system from overload and protect risk groups. The cuts in personal freedom and economic life were drastic. In order to cushion consequences for various industries, the federal government put on huge billion dollar aid programs. Above all, the consequences for children who could not in schools and daycare centers were hard. In retrospect, the then CDU Health Minister Jens Spahn called it a failure “that we did not manage to protect the children and adolescents from the consequences of this pandemic as we should have done”.
How are assessments in retrospect?
From today’s perspective, 56 percent of the Lockdowns can find the right view of the Lockdowns, as a survey by the Opinion Research Institute YouGov showed on behalf of the German Press Agency. 21 percent called them completely correctly and 35 percent rather correctly. On the other hand, you will find 20 percent and more incorrectly 19 percent. The Lockdowns were very stressful for 50 percent of the respondents. They now consider 52 percent to be targeted. 2,012 people aged 18 and over were interviewed on March 10th and 11th.
Is there still a bigger processing?
Beautifier arguments that have flared up with vaccinations and masks – and the trenches are deep. In the Bundestag, a processing of crisis management in the past election period did not come about. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), who regulated the end of pandemic in Germany, already spoke out for a new attempt after the election. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier himself invited to a discussion on Friday and warned: “What we do not speak openly just feeds conspiracy theories and new distrust.”
What has remained about crisis instruments?
After almost three years, the last nationwide protection requirements ended on Easter Monday 2023. In the Infection Protection Act, which was repeatedly changed in pandemic, the Corona regulations have taken over. However, there is a “general clause” on which the countries could support protective measures for health crises, as the Federal Ministry of Health explained. The law also has the possibility that the Bundestag, like Corona, determines an “epidemic location of national scope”. Then the federal government could take simple measures for pharmaceutical supply.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are currently still seven million vaccine doses in the Federal Ministry of Health. National direction is no longer bought. However, there are still acceptance obligations for deliveries from Biontech and Novavax due to participation in a procurement initiative of the EU Commission. The federal government wants to provide the vaccine of both companies free of charge until at least 2026. Until the end of 2028, documents from Corona Testels must be kept. This should ensure that there are still cases of billing fraud. The federal government also threatens risks from smoldering disputes to deliver mask deliveries on special conditions.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
