Exit strategies: Step by step into a new normality

At first glance, the development of an exit strategy from the coronavirus restrictions did not and does not appear to be a structured approach by the federal states and the federal government. The regulations on when and how face-to-face teaching should start again at schools alone were reminiscent of the well-known image of 18th century German parochialism.

But a closer look reveals something else. German federalism provides the ideal basis for fine-tuning an exit strategy. Relaxations that make sense in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with its low number of cases can be disastrous in the hotspots of Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg. Incidentally, the negative image of small states is more the result of the national euphoria under and after Bismarck and only corresponds to reality to a limited extent.

There can therefore be no universal magic formula for an exit. Especially as, in addition to the regional peculiarities, numerous unknowns would also have to be taken into account. Covid-19 is uncharted territory for mankind – deductions from other crises are only possible to a limited extent. The developments in Gütersloh, Göttingen and Berlin show how fragile the current situation is.

Nevertheless, guard rails must be found as to how the economy, culture, education and, of course, leisure can be revived. These guard rails depend on the tactics used to deal with the virus. After “flattening the curve” and herd immunity, political leaders currently seem to want to keep the coronavirus in check by taking more moderate protective measures.

This means that we will have to learn to live with the virus – at least until there is reliable vaccination protection and effective medication against Covid-19. Face masks, social distancing rules and similar regulations will be with us for a long time. Perhaps this also means that society will have to accept a higher number of deaths.

The latter in particular sounds harsh. But if too many elderly people despair of their loneliness, too many children go mad in their homes or small stores lose their livelihood, a democratic government simply has to take this into account in its actions. At the same time, however, securing basic medical care must remain at the forefront of any exit strategy.