The last measures in the fight against the corona pandemic expired a year ago. But politicians are still struggling to find the right way to deal with the measures.
It is the beginning of April 2023 when Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach officially declares the corona pandemic to be over. By the way, on the sidelines of a press conference. “We have managed the pandemic successfully in Germany and also with a good balance sheet,” said Lauterbach. Shortly afterwards, the last protective regulations fell: the requirement to wear a mask for visitors to doctor’s offices or nursing homes.
A year later, the pandemic has largely disappeared from many people’s consciousness. Other international crises dominate everyday life and their impact on life in this country, such as the war in Ukraine.
But suddenly the Corona issue is back, which seemed somehow forgotten. Not the pandemic itself, but how to deal with it has been on everyone’s lips since the so-called RKI protocols hit the headlines at the end of March.
The minutes are internal documents from the crisis meetings at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The authority is responsible for monitoring infectious diseases in the population. During the pandemic, it should gather scientific evidence to advise the government.
The documents had to be released because the online magazine Multipolar had successfully sued for their release. The protocols are apparently far less explosive than is sometimes claimed online.
“Open-ended and discussed in a diverse manner”
The virologist Hendrik Streeck advised the then federal government during the pandemic. Streeck was seen as more of a critic of strict measures. From his point of view, the RKI protocols do not contain any scandal, “but they actually show very nicely in a chronological sequence how the RKI was also discussed in an open-ended and diverse manner,” says the virologist.
This applies, for example, to school closings, which the RKI has sometimes viewed rather critically. The minutes from December 4, 2020 say that corona cases in schools are not significantly driving the infection process.
Nevertheless, the schools were closed again shortly afterwards. Streeck, who would like to run for the CDU in the next federal election, says the RKI should have conducted and moderated such scientific controversies more publicly.
Accusation of political influence
It was already obvious during the pandemic that politicians did not always listen to the RKI’s advice. But now the accusation was circulating that politics had influenced the institute’s scientific assessment. This is about a protocol from March 2020. At that time, the crisis team discussed, among other things, the additional need for intensive care and ventilation beds.
The institute planned to upgrade the assessment of the risk from Corona as soon as (redacted name) gives a signal to do so. The blog Multipolar, which is said to have a penchant for conspiracy theories, suspected someone from the then federal government behind the redaction.
The RKI let it be known that it was an RKI employee. Blacking out names is common practice when publishing internal minutes in order to protect employees.
Arrest and Annihilation fantasies
Minister Lauterbach has now announced more transparency. If possible, the protocols should be largely de-blackened. The RKI protocols have given conspiracy ideologists and corona deniers new impetus, says Josef Holnburger. He is co-director of CeMAS (Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy), which collects information on conspiracy ideologies and disinformation.
In the “lateral thinking scene” there is sometimes talk about fantasies of arrest and extermination. It was thought that we would now be ready to bring charges against the federal government at the time.
For conspiracy ideologists, Angela Merkel stands behind the blackened name. It goes as far as NATO generals or Bill Gates. Blackening the protocols won’t change anything, says Holnburger. Then comes the accusation that the minutes were falsified.
Compulsory vaccination is controversial
Reaching people from this scene is difficult. The people closest to you – friends, relatives and work colleagues – are most likely to be able to get to you, says Holnburger. He refers to advice centers that could help with this problem. If you want to deal with the corona pandemic, such organizations would also need more financial support. There are long waiting times and many requests for help are left unanswered for a long time.
From Holnburger’s perspective, there was a lot of discussion during the corona pandemic. For example, about a general compulsory vaccination, for which there was ultimately no majority in politics. It is wrong that only one opinion was allowed, says the political scientist.
Grief, fear and deprivation
But the Corona years have left their mark on society. For many it was a time marked by sadness, fear and deprivation. With the aim of saving lives, politicians had initiated far-reaching measures and encroachments on fundamental rights.
It’s about bans on visits, dying alone in care facilities and clinics, the closure of daycare centers and (college) schools, restaurants, the cultural scene and shops, right through to curfews. From the liberals’ point of view, none of this has been dealt with sufficiently. The FDP is concerned with assessing the effectiveness and proportionality of the pandemic measures.
It is now known that some decisions of the previous federal government caused great social and economic damage, says the Parliamentary Managing Director of the FDP, Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus. The Liberals therefore want to set up a study commission in the Bundestag.
Such a commission consists of representatives and experts from science and practice. At the end of their work, they submit a report to the Bundestag with recommendations for the future. The FDP’s demand is not new. But since the RKI protocols became public, the debate about processing them has picked up speed again. There is support for this from the Union, which provided Chancellor and Health Minister at the beginning of the pandemic.
One is coming parliamentary Reprocessing?
It remains to be seen whether and when such a commission will come. Health Minister Lauterbach recently referred to this in an interview with Deutschlandfunk on the Bundestag, which has to decide. But he believes that more transparency is needed so that more conspiracy ideologies don’t build up around that time.
The SPD parliamentary group evades the question of a study commission. An evaluation of the Corona measures is already taking place. For example, in terms of the effects on children and young people, says deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dagmar Schmidt. Lessons have already been learned from this. For example, with the StartChances program, which is intended to support students in disadvantaged schools.
The Greens are also in favor of a parliamentary review. However, they view a study commission critically. Such a commission would not start until the end of 2024. Then the legislative period would almost be over, says parliamentary manager Irene Mihalic. The traffic light coalition has not yet agreed on the right path.
For virologist Streeck, the ultimate question remains how different poles can be brought together again and how society can achieve reconciliation. Above all, he calls for people to talk openly about the pandemic.