As Germany marks five years since its COVID-19 lockdown, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for transparency and a critical look back at the pandemic to save lives and build a better future.
Five years have passed since strict measures were introduced in Germany to contain the spread of COVID-19. Almost all stores, businesses, and schools were closed, and the country was plunged into lockdown. Today, Germany is still divided over how the pandemic was managed.
Quarantine measures came into effect on March 22, 2020, as an effort to get the global outbreak of the respiratory disease under control. Social distancing measures of varying degrees were in place around the world for nearly three years, resulting in almost 7 million deaths worldwide. In Germany, there have been 187,000 cases of people dying with or from coronavirus.
Many people continue to contract the virus as it continues to evolve, but for most people, it is now less dangerous. However, the long-term effects of COVID-19, known as post-COVID-19 or long COVID-19, are still being felt. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been criticizing the lack of a thorough appraisal of the pandemic in society and politics.
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a highly contagious respiratory illness.
First identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019, it quickly spread globally, infecting millions and causing widespread death.
The pandemic has led to unprecedented lockdowns, travel restrictions, and economic disruption.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of March 2023, there have been over 600 million reported cases worldwide, with over 6.5 million deaths.
Vaccination efforts have been ongoing since late 2020, with multiple vaccines approved for emergency use.
Steinmeier recently initiated a round table discussion on the aftermath and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. He emphasized the importance of creating transparency to win back people who doubted democracy and institutions during the pandemic. ‘The people in this country are expecting us to take a thorough look at that period,’ he said.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a German politician who has served as the President of Germany since 2017.
Prior to his presidency, he held various ministerial positions, including Foreign Minister from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017.
Steinmeier was born in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1956 and studied law at the University of Göttingen.
He has been a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1980.
Steinmeier received answers from guests with expertise in various fields, including medicine, education, research, sport, culture, and politics. Maxi Brautmeier-Ulrich, the head of an elementary school, spoke about the creativity that went into making digital lessons possible but also about the exhaustion she felt and the damage it caused to trust in schools and the education system.
Steinmeier made it clear how important it is to examine what went well and what went less well during the pandemic. He emphasized that many measures were based on what was known at the time, but he also stressed the importance of taking a critical look back to save lives. ‘And it was always about one thing: saving as many lives as possible,’ he concluded.
Steinmeier repeatedly praised the widespread solidarity in Germany during the pandemic but warned that if we don’t come to terms with the situation, conspiracy theories and mistrust will grow, which is poison for democracy. He emphasized the importance of transparency to avoid populists playing into the hands of misinformation.
The state of Brandenburg has set up a commission of inquiry to examine the handling of the pandemic. The committee includes members of parliament, municipal representatives, and experts from the scientific community. Steinmeier warned that if we don’t address the situation openly, it will feed conspiracy theories and mistrust.
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a grim mark on Germany. Many questions remain unanswered, including the role of politics, the role of scientific advice, and what measures were necessary to protect fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly. Steinmeier’s call for transparency and a critical look back at the pandemic is crucial in ensuring that we learn from our mistakes and build a better future.
