Three years of pandemic: when suddenly nothing was normal anymore


chronology

Status: 02/02/2023 8:20 a.m

The first corona infection in Germany became known a good three years ago. From then on, nothing was the same. Masks, distance rules, lockdowns and a failed Easter rest – a review.

It’s been a little over three years since the corona virus came to Germany. Since then there have been several waves of infection, lockdowns and sometimes more or less strict measures to contain the virus. Around 38 million infections were registered in Germany, around 64 million people were immunized by vaccination. More than 164,000 infected people died.

Many of the measures have long since been lifted. Today, the mask requirement in long-distance traffic is no longer applicable. But how did it all begin? And how did Germany get through the pandemic? A review.

2020

January 27: The first infection in Germany has been confirmed: an employee of the auto supplier Webasto in Stockdorf near Munich has contracted Covid-19.

25./26. February: Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia report the first proven cases. Other federal states will follow, and on March 10th, Saxony-Anhalt will be the last federal state to have its first case.

At the end of February, the corona virus began to spread more and more in Germany and other European countries.

9th March: In North Rhine-Westphalia there are the first German deaths. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) urges caution and advises the cancellation of large events.

12./13. March: More and more theaters and concert halls are shutting down their performances. The Bundesliga is on pause. A few days later, the first companies announced that they would temporarily close factories.

March 16: There are controls and entry bans at the borders with France, Austria, Luxembourg, Denmark and Switzerland. Schools and daycare centers are closed in most federal states.

March 22: The federal and state governments decide on strict measures: gatherings of more than two people are prohibited. Excluded are relatives who live in their own household. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, but also hairdressers have to close.

25th March: The Bundestag determines an “epidemic situation of national importance”. This allows the government to issue regulations without the consent of Parliament.

April 22: The economic consequences of the Corona crisis are to be mitigated. Aid worth billions is decided for companies, employees and gastronomy.

May 6: A number of federal states had already pushed ahead with easing, now the federal government has decided: the federal states are largely responsible for lifting restrictions themselves – including for hotels, restaurants, shops, driving schools, swimming pools and fitness studios.

29th August: In Berlin, tens of thousands are protesting against the measures. This leads to violence. Demonstrators break through barriers in front of the Reichstag. The police arrested 200 people. Among them was the far-right conspiracy theorist Attila Hildmann.

November 2: The number of infections is increasing. A partial lockdown with restrictions on contacts and leisure activities comes into effect. Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes for a “breakwater” effect that should bring a turning point in the rapidly increasing number of cases.

The goal: a limit of 50 cases per 100,000 citizens in one week. Only then is it possible for the health authorities to track the chain of infection.

November 18: The Bundestag and Bundesrat determine which restrictions countries and authorities may impose due to the pandemic. The nationwide incidence is 138.9.

2. December: The so-called partial lockdown will be extended. Great Britain is the first country to grant emergency authorization for the vaccine from the Mainz-based manufacturer BioNTech and the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and starts its vaccination campaign a few days later.

21st December: BioNTech/Pfizer’s vaccine receives conditional marketing authorization in the EU.

24th of December: The Alpha variant, first detected in Great Britain, is also being detected in Germany for the first time.

December 27: In the Federal Republic officially begin vaccinations – first for people over 80 years of age, nursing home residents as well as caregivers and particularly vulnerable hospital staff. A 101-year-old woman in Berlin, a 95-year-old woman in North Rhine-Westphalia and a nurse in Frankfurt am Main were among the first to receive the active ingredient from the companies BioNTech and Pfizer in Germany.

2021

6th January: Moderna’s vaccine is approved in the EU. After the BioNTech and Pfizer agent, it is the second Covid-19 vaccine approved in the European Union.

January 19: FFP2 masks or surgical masks on buses and trains and when shopping will become mandatory. Everyday masks are no longer permitted.

January 27: The number of infected people in Germany exceeds the two million mark. Employers are obliged to offer employees the opportunity to work from home in certain cases.

January 29: The Astrazeneca vaccine can now also be used in the EU. It is the third approval of a Covid-19 vaccine in the European Union. For Germany, the Standing Vaccination Commission is sticking to its recommendation that the Astrazeneca vaccine should only be administered to those under the age of 65.

February 22: In several federal states, children are allowed to attend schools and daycare centers again. It is the first major easing since December.

March 11: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also approves the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only has to be injected once.

March 24: After massive criticism, Chancellor Merkel overturned the “Easter peace” previously agreed by the federal and state governments. In what is probably a historic statement, she apologizes for the decisions.

April 21: The Bundestag decides on a federal emergency brake against the third corona wave. In the case of high incidences, night-time exit restrictions apply, among other things.

June 7: With the general abolition of prioritization, all people in Germany from the age of twelve can be vaccinated against Corona. Doctors fear a large rush of people willing to be vaccinated.

8th of July: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports that the highly contagious Delta variant is now prevalent in this country.

August 16: The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) now also recommends vaccinations for children and young people between the ages of 12 and 17.

7th of September: In the future, measures against the pandemic should be based primarily on the number of hospital admissions, the Bundestag decides. The previous benchmark was the number of infections.

An obligation to provide information about vaccinations was also decided: Employers in nursing homes, schools and daycare centers should be able to ask employees in the future whether they have been vaccinated.

1st of November: In the event of loss of earnings due to ordered quarantine, most unvaccinated people will no longer receive any state compensation from now on.

November 24th: The new Infection Protection Act comes into force. Among other things, it provides for 3G in the workplace, on buses and trains – so access only if vaccinated, recovered or tested.

November 26: The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies the novel corona variant Omicron, which has been detected in southern Africa, as “worrying”.

2. December: The federal and state governments are tightening the rules to break the fourth wave. If the incidence is high, discotheques are closed and the number of visitors for major events is severely restricted. Chancellor Merkel speaks of an “act of national solidarity”.

20th of December: Novavax’s Nuvaxovid vaccine is the fifth product to be approved in the EU.

2022

January 7: The federal and state governments decide on the 2G Plus rule for restaurants, cafés and pubs. This already applies in some federal states. Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered must therefore have a daily negative corona test or a booster vaccination.

January 24: Despite the rapid increase in the number of infections, the federal and state governments do not want to tighten the corona measures for the time being.

February 1st: Without a booster, EU vaccination certificates will be invalid nine months after the basic immunization against the virus.

February 16: The federal and state governments agree on easing: Vaccinated and recovered people are allowed to meet without restrictions. The limit of ten people is no longer applicable.

March 16: The so-called facility-related vaccination obligation applies to employees in the nursing professions. This was preceded by a long discussion about compulsory corona vaccination. It was fed by the rather low vaccination rate in Germany compared to other European countries.

3rd of April: Most state corona requirements are no longer applicable. After two years, shopping without masks will be possible in retail. The mask requirement usually only applies on buses and trains, in hospitals or nursing homes.

7th of April: In the Bundestag, a draft for a general corona vaccination fails, initially for people over 60 years of age. 296 MEPs vote in favour, 378 against.

May 24: STIKO now also recommends a corona vaccination for healthy children between the ages of five and eleven.

June 24: The sixth corona vaccine is now approved in the EU, initially only for people between the ages of 18 and 50. The Valneva product contains dead viruses.

2 September: The European Commission approves two corona vaccines adapted to the omicron variant.

November 17: The STIKO recommends the corona vaccination for previously ill children from six months to four years.

2023

January 1st: She had caused a lot of criticism in the federal states and in nursing facilities: Now the facility-related vaccination requirement is no longer applicable.

11th January: RKI boss Lothar Wieler announces his resignation on April 1, 2023 after around eight years. On April 1, he will be moving to the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam.

January 2nd: The mask requirement in long-distance public transport ends. This means that the last visible corona protection measures in everyday life are no longer available for most people in Germany.

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