Corona policy of the traffic light: “It is becoming more and more unclear who sets the tone”

Since the number of new infections has increased so sharply, the SPD, FDP and Greens have had a hard time with a coherent corona policy. The image that everything is going to be new and better already cracks before a government is formed.

Everything will be new, everything will be better. This picture, which the likely traffic light coalition has been trying to convey for weeks, is already cracking clearly before the official formation of the government. Admittedly, the transition phase in Berlin politics does not make it easy for everyone involved. But the SPD, the Greens and the FDP very deliberately took the reins of action in matters of Corona when they – with good reason – announced the end of the epidemic situation.

Faced with higher daily incidences

With this end, the vaccination progress should be reacted to and a new legal basis for the corona measures should be created. In the meantime, however, the traffic light parties are confronted with higher incidence values ​​every day – and are now finding it difficult to pursue a coherent corona policy.

While the FDP is sticking to its liberal corona policy and strictly rejecting new lockdowns, for example, the SPD and the Greens outdo each other in rhetorically upgrading the planned measures and constantly making new suggestions – just not giving the impression of one because the epidemic situation is coming to an end too loose corona policy emerges.

Back and forth on possible measures

The group leader of the Greens, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, speaks of new contact restrictions, although there should actually no longer be. And SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese says that it is actually about a lockdown for unvaccinated people, although SPD politicians had previously warned against a split in society into vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Meanwhile, FDP leader Christian Lindner is carefully rowing back: In contrast to his general secretary Volker Wissing, he no longer wants to definitely rule out compulsory vaccinations for certain professional groups.

Outlook on future potential for conflict

So it sounds pretty much polyphonic from the traffic light parties. And it is becoming increasingly unclear who sets the tone. At first it looked as if the FDP could enforce many of its positions. Now the SPD and the Greens are dominating with their demands.

The Union parties, in turn, see an opportunity to attack the future government before it actually starts. Recently, many members of the CDU and CSU had doubts as to whether the epidemic situation should be prolonged.

The right Corona policy must be struggled and argued. Therefore, conflicts between the traffic light partners are not objectionable. It is also useless to keep such conflicts under the covers, just not to endanger the new government. But it already gives an idea of ​​the potential for conflict in the future traffic light coalition.