The first corona infection in Germany became known three years ago. Around 38 million infections have now been registered and around 64 million people have been given basic immunization by vaccination. More than 164,000 infected people died from or with Corona. A review.
What did you just say? When exactly did the first lockdown begin and when did the mask requirement apply? When did which variant circulate? A lot has happened in the three Corona years that people in Germany have experienced.
January 27: The first infection in Germany is confirmed: an employee of the auto supplier Webasto in Stockdorf near Munich.
25./26. February: Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) report the first proven cases. Other federal states will follow, and on March 10th, Saxony-Anhalt will be the last state to have its first case.
March 9th: In NRW there are the first deaths in Germany.
12./13. March: More and more theaters and concert halls stop playing. 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: Ban on gatherings of more than two people. Excluded are relatives who live in their own household. Cafes, pubs, restaurants, but also hairdressers have to close.
March 25: The Bundestag declares an “epidemic situation of national importance”. This allows the government to issue regulations without the consent of Parliament. After several extensions, the emergency ends at the end of November 25, 2021.
April 22: Aid worth billions is decided for companies, employees and gastronomy.
May 6: The countries are given extensive responsibility to relax restrictions – including for hotels, restaurants, shops, driving schools, swimming pools and gyms.
August 29: During protests by tens of thousands against the measures in Berlin, demonstrators break through barriers in front of the Reichstag.
November 2: A partial lockdown with restrictions on contacts and leisure activities is intended to break the second wave of infections.
November 18: The Bundestag and Bundesrat determine which restrictions countries and authorities are allowed to impose because of Corona.
December 2: 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.
21 December: The Biontech/Pfizer vaccine receives conditional market approval in the EU. On January 6, Moderna’s preparation will also be approved.
24 December: The Alpha variant, first detected in Great Britain, is also detected in Germany for the first time.
December 27: Vaccination officially begins in Germany – first for people over 80 years of age, nursing home residents, nursing staff and hospital staff who are particularly at risk.
January 19: FFP2 masks or surgical masks on buses and trains and when shopping become mandatory.
January 27: Employers are obliged to offer employees the opportunity to work from home in certain cases.
January 29: Astrazeneca’s vaccine can now also be used in the EU. Johnson’s remedy will follow in March
February 22: In several federal states, children are allowed to attend schools and daycare centers again. It is the first major easing since December.
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, everyone in Germany from the age of twelve can be vaccinated against Corona.
July 8th: The highly contagious Delta variant now prevails in this country, reports the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
August 16: The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) now also recommends vaccinations for children and young people between the ages of twelve and 17.
September 7: 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.
November 1: Most unvaccinated people no longer receive state compensation for loss of earnings due to ordered quarantine.
November 24: 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”.
December 2: Federal and state governments tighten rules to break fourth wave. If the incidence is high, discos are closed and the number of visitors for major events is severely restricted.
20 December: Novavax’s Nuvaxovid vaccine becomes the fifth product to be approved in the EU.
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 24th: 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 1: Without a booster, EU vaccination certificates will be invalid nine months after the basic immunization against the virus.
February 16: The vaccinated and those who have recovered are allowed to meet without restrictions. The limit of ten people is no longer applicable.
February 23: The drug Paxlovid comes onto the German market. The tablets are intended to prevent severe Covid courses.
March 16: The so-called institution-related vaccination obligation applies to employees in the care professions. It will expire on January 1, 2023.
April 3: Most state corona requirements are no longer applicable. After two years, shopping without masks will be possible in retail.
April 7: A draft for general corona vaccination, initially for people over 60 years of age, fails in the Bundestag.
May 24th: The Stiko now also recommends a corona vaccination for healthy children between the ages of five and eleven. The recommendation for previously ill children from six months to four years will follow in mid-November.
June 24: The 6th corona vaccine is approved in the EU, initially only for people between the ages of 18 and 50. The Valneva product contains dead viruses.
September 2: The European Commission approves two corona vaccines adapted to the omicron variant.
January 11: RKI boss Lothar Wieler announces his resignation on April 1, 2023 after around eight years.
January 13: The mask requirement in long-distance public transport should fall on February 2, according to Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
