Germany is nearing the end of its state protection requirements in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The last nationwide mask requirements in the healthcare sector will expire on April 7th. According to a recent survey, a majority of citizens do not believe that everyday requirements will apply again in autumn and winter.
The long-standing mandatory protection rules for masks and tests have broadly been accepted. In the survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency, 48 percent of respondents called the mask requirements “completely correct.”
The majority of citizens had no major issues dealing with the requirements; 34 percent of participants said that it was “very easy” for them to comply with the mask requirement in general. Complying with test obligations was very easy for 31 percent and quite easy for 34 percent. Only small percentages found these compliance requirements difficult.
According to the survey, 59 percent of respondents believed that risk groups such as the elderly and sick were protected by wearing masks and testing, while 48 percent felt the pandemic was kept under control. However, 43 percent of respondents expressed feelings of restricted freedom.
The country is looking forward to a return to normal as the pandemic eases. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann have confirmed that the nationwide Corona restrictions will end as planned on April 7th. However, health politicians, consumer advice centers, and general practitioners are campaigning to keep these requirements in place.
The campaign efforts are yet to succeed, and a decision on the continuation of the measures rests with the Federal Joint Committee of doctors, clinics, and health insurance companies. The corona vaccinations are part of the regular care, with a draft regulation from the ministry allowing free vaccines to be available from April 8 on a broader front.
As the country gradually returns to normal, it is hoped that the measures taken in the past two years will have provided long-term benefits that help keep the incidence of COVID-19 under control.
