Germany has led the way in its approach to combating the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s intense programme of consistent testing from early on has resulted in far fewer deaths than the worst-affected countries. It was only logical then that Angela Merkel’s cabinet and Germany’s 16 state governments would ease the lockdown sooner than others. But that decision could now backfire.
Shortly before schools and retailers were allowed to re-open, the country’s basic reproduction rate, indicating how many new cases one infected person generates on average, was at 0.7 following a steady decrease in the weeks of confinement. Now the number has rebounded to 0.9 or 1.0. If the value goes above 1.0, which is the dividing line between growth and decline, it will result in an exponential increase in infections again.
Many Germans seemed to accept the confinement rules for the first three weeks after the lockdown started on 23 March.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in