Breakthrough: Three years of covid buzz. The Germans ask questions and want to punish

In Germany, there is a serious debate about the measures that the government imposed on citizens during the pandemic. It is written about the problematic adoption of some measures, while a non-negligible part of citizens expresses the opinion that their authors belong in court.

survey

Is Andrej Babiš harming the Czech Republic?

voted: 8020 people

For three full years, German politicians have maintained a “harsh course” and supported the strictest possible measures well into 2022.

At the same time, the published minutes of the meetings reveal that the measures were often taken in a non-transparent manner, and many of them, especially the closing of schools, were enforced by politicians even against the will of advisers and experts.

About documents showing the extent of the government’s “tough course” under both Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, the newspaper Bild writes more comprehensively.

Former Federal Minister for Family Affairs in Angela Merkel’s second government (2009–2013) Kristina Schröder admits that the pandemic lockdowns were “by far the most serious interference with human rights since World War II”.

Today, Schröder talks about the fact that there was little discussion about the measures and their critics were the target of ridicule. Thanks to this, things that were considered impossible until then became possible. “Proportionality was not taken into account and attention was not paid,” admits the ex-minister.

Photogallery: – We will not give a crown

Social democrats Franziska Giffey and Christine Lambrecht took turns in her position during the pandemic. But the key figure was Jens Spahn, Minister of Taxation. The role of “coronavirus marshal” earned him the position of first vice-chairman and crown prince of the CDU.

In the autumn of 2020, he famously made a sharp media appearance that the main cause of the pandemic was “visits to parties and clubs”. The same evening, journalists caught him at a party with party sponsors, and he subsequently tested positive.

Minister Spahn also ordered half a million overpriced respirators for the ministry from a company that his husband was lobbying for without a tender process. Masks bought in Singapore at $1.73 each were to be delivered to the ministry for $4.50.

Photogallery: – Easter markets in České Budějovice

According to Bild, the findings from the protocols show the pressure democracy has come under. For example, restaurant owners who have been hit hard by the measures are now finding that the government has adopted sweeping measures without addressing their economic situation.

Therefore, it is not surprising that entrepreneurs and other people feel that they have been abandoned and left alone with their problems during covid.

The whole society is then confirmed in the feeling that the harsh prohibition policy was not considered enough and they faced a huge costly social experiment perhaps unnecessarily.

The Federal Republic relies on the stability and predictability of the legal environment, but the frequency of extraordinary measures that disrupted this predictability increased dramatically under the corona virus. The result is, even according to the data, a huge drop in trust in the state and its institutions. According to the interviewed sociologist, the state has so far failed to return this trust.

Sociologist Kai Unzicker of the Bertelsmann Foundation describes the results of the survey as alarming: “People feel injustice and it seems to be getting worse.”

According to the sociologist, heated debates about vaccinations and face masks have broken social cohesion. According to experts from universities, the survey showed that vaccination and wearing masks became an important part of their identity during the pandemic for many people. And the behavior towards those who did not have a mask or did not want to be vaccinated corresponded to this.

Politicians further fueled this division by adopting and defending measures that partially excluded unvaccinated people from public life.

Photogallery: – We refuse termination without giving a reason

The result is that, according to surveys, 29 percent of those questioned are asking for the punishment of the politicians who decided on the measures. And 19 percent want the scientists who advised them to be held accountable.

When shooting ex-minister Spahn, many ask if the 29 percent is still too little.

According to the sociologist, these are scary numbers. They say they show that the stress caused by the pandemic still persists among people. But I understand some commentators for people’s opinions.

Ex-minister Schröderová, who was no longer active in politics at the time of the pandemic, sees this clearly: “We have to talk openly about how far politics has gone.” At the same time, she thinks that the politicians of the time have a problem admitting their responsibility to themselves.