There had never been an Easter festival like this in Germany before: No visits to relatives or friends, no grandchildren looking for Easter eggs together with their grandparents, no going to church – in April 2020 Germany was in lockdown because of Corona, Bavaria had particularly strict rules. A year later, the fuss about the “Easter rest”: the federal and state governments decided on a tightened Easter lockdown with two additional “rest days”. The then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) quickly overturned the decision – strict restrictions still applied.
Only in 2022 was a comparatively carefree Easter possible with just a few measures, this year all remaining state corona requirements in Germany will end just in time for the holidays: the last measures prescribed by the Federal Infection Protection Act – the FFP2 mask requirements – will also expire on Friday for visitors to hospitals and care facilities as well as for patients in medical practices. At the same time, the federal states are no longer able to issue their own more extensive regulations. Bavaria had completely abolished its state corona rules five weeks ago.
“Freedom is the rule again”
Yes, Germany says goodbye to its last measures later than many other European countries. Nevertheless: All those who speculated just a few months ago that politics in Germany would never again allow “complete freedom” like before Corona will be taught a lesson. Holy Saturday 2023 goes hand in hand with the return to complete normality. “The massive encroachments on fundamental rights were the exception in the pandemic,” said Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) of “Welt am Sonntag”: “Freedom is now the rule again.”
The Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) emphasized when asked by BR24: “For the first time in more than three years, no generally mandatory protective measures will apply, neither under state law nor under federal law. A symbolic step, especially at Easter.” It was a challenging three years. “But we mastered it – we can all be proud of this show of strength.”
In-house mask requirement possible
Despite the end of the state corona rules, it can happen in the healthcare sector in particular that masks are required by domiciliary rights in some places. Hygiene and protection against infection would continue to play an “outstanding role” in hospitals, said the CEO of the German Hospital Society (DKG), Gerald Gass, of the AFP news agency. “In this sense, clinics can individually impose an in-house mask requirement if it suits the circumstances.” In principle, the DKG welcomes the fact that the decision on possible measures is now up to the hospitals.
According to the managing director of the Caritas retirement homes in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Doris Schneider, the lifting of the last mask requirements is overdue. “You have to imagine: For three years, the residents in their own home, in their bedroom and living room, were only able to receive visitors from people wearing a mask.” The infection situation has not given rise to such strict measures for a long time. Others, such as the Pullach family doctor Andreas Durstewitz, are concerned about the relaxation – because the protection provided by the mask in the waiting room is no longer available.
Corona entry regulation expires
In addition to the last mask requirements, the coronavirus entry regulation will also expire on Friday. It sets the rules for entering Germany from areas with worrying virus variants. Most recently, the regulation at the beginning of the year was the basis for the temporary test requirement for travelers from China.
While there was passionate discussion about a “Freedom Day” last year, the end of the last measures is now rather inconspicuous. Originally, significantly more corona restrictions should apply until April 7th. In view of the relaxed corona situation, the federal government initially abolished the FFP2 mask requirement in long-distance bus and train transport, and later also most of the mask and test requirements in the healthcare sector. At the beginning of February, the Corona Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance was enacted, there have been no free citizen tests since March, and on April 1st the possibility of taking sick leave by telephone was no longer available. On April 4th, with its 33rd meeting, the Federal Government’s Council of Experts on Corona finished its work.
Review: partial vaccination, 3G, 2G, curfew
Many strict corona measures and regulations came to an end last year: At the turn of the year, the controversial compulsory vaccination for employees in health care facilities expired. 3G and 2G rules, subscriber caps, contact restrictions and night-time curfews have long been history.
Due to the frequent changes and differences between countries, it was often difficult to keep track of which measures apply where exactly. For two years, Bavaria was usually the country with the strictest guidelines – Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) made a name for himself nationwide as Germany’s strictest crisis manager, as the leader of the “Team Caution and Prudence”. Last year he switched to “Team Freedom” – and Bavaria became a pioneer in easing.
Restrictions partially overturned by courts
The Corona rules have also been repeatedly reviewed by the courts. They were often confirmed – for example, the Federal Constitutional Court decided that the federal emergency brake with night curfews and school closures was compatible with the Basic Law. But there were also legal flops for politics – including for the Bavarian state government. The Bavarian Administrative Court overturned the 15-kilometer limit for residents in corona hotspots, the 2G rule in retail, the ban on overnight stays for people from corona hotspots, the Bavaria-wide ban on barbecues, the corona test obligation for cross-border commuters and the early curfew from 10 p.m for gastronomy. The Federal Administrative Court also classified the corona exit restriction of April 2020 as disproportionate.
Within the government coalition, free voter health expert Susann Enders in particular is campaigning for a thorough review of corona policy at state and federal level: “Today we are at least three years smarter.” Politicians must learn for the future. There are also calls from the opposition to learn lessons from the pandemic period. In particular, the damage caused by corona school closures has long been indisputable.
Holetschek: “Well prepared” for the future
Minister Holetschek sees the Free State on the right track. “We are also learning our lessons from the three years of the pandemic and have already implemented a lot. We have set up efficient monitoring that can also help us with future infections,” explains the CSU politician.
Hygiene and protection concepts for vulnerable groups have been developed, which can be quickly accessed again if necessary. Bavaria has set up a central pandemic warehouse and learned a lot about the procurement and storage of medical devices and protective equipment. “I see us well prepared if a new pandemic should come.”
