The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 180,397 new infections within 24 hours.

That's 56,955 fewer cases than Tuesday a week ago, when 237,352 positive tests were reported.

Overall, the number of confirmed infections in Germany is more than 21.84 million.

The nationwide seven-day incidence continues to fall to 1394.0 from 1424.6 the previous day.

316 other people died in connection with the virus.

This increases the number of reported deaths to 130,368.

The end of the isolation and quarantine obligation for people infected with corona and contact persons planned for May 1st has met with opposition from experts and patient advocates.

The board of directors of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, sees great dangers for people who are particularly at risk.

“It is becoming increasingly dangerous for the high-risk group.

These people live among us," Brysch told the editorial network Germany.

"Like the corona deniers, the infection is played down," criticized the patient advocate.

“Anyone who has symptoms should stay at home”

The epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb called for the obligation to isolate infected people to be maintained.

"If a person has symptoms, then they should sit out the corona infection at home instead of infecting more people," Zeeb told RND.

Especially with the omicron variant there is a risk of the virus being passed on very quickly.

An isolation obligation of five days should therefore be observed.

On the other hand, Zeeb no longer considers quarantine for contact persons to be necessary.

The health ministers of the federal and state governments had agreed on Monday that people infected with corona and contact persons would generally only have to be isolated or quarantined voluntarily and for a short period of time from May 1st.

In the future, infected people will only be “strongly recommended” to isolate themselves for five days and avoid contacts – it should apply accordingly to contact persons of infected people.

There is no order from the health department.

Stricter requirements should remain for employees in healthcare and care who have become infected.