After it was a model in the first wave

Germany loses battle during the second wave of Corona

• Delayed vaccination exacerbated the situation in various states.

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• Small traders are upset with the prolonged lockdown.

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After it handled the Coronavirus well last year, Germany now finds itself struggling with the slowing down of the vaccination process and the frustration of its population.

And after more than two months after the second complete lockdown of the country, people all over Germany are tired of waiting, whether to get vaccinations, get government compensation, or return to normal life.

And for the Germans, this is demoralizing.

At the start of the pandemic, Germany showed itself as a global leader in dealing with a public health crisis that occurs once a century.

Chancellor Angela Merkel forged a closure consensus.

Its government-owned testing and tracing tools were the envy of its European neighbors.

The country's death and injury rates were among the lowest in the European Union.

Health care was excellent, and residents adhered to the restrictions with a relatively muted grumble.

Drowning

And in the second wave of the pandemic, Germany now finds itself overwhelmed like any other country.

A host of new, stricter restrictions were extended, amid mounting complaints, and even occasional protests, before the latest lockdown.

However, infection rates remained at about 10 thousand new cases, daily.

Fears of new breeds, first identified in England and South Africa, undermine government plans;

At a time when the vaccination program in Germany falters.

Only 3.5% of Germans received the first dose, and about 2% were fully vaccinated.

For a country that used to be the first in Europe;

In terms of economic strength, and a reputation for efficiency and organization, this shift was not a welcome one.

The left-leaning Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said in an editorial, “The country has long enjoyed the glow of its early success,” following up “The Corona virus has now revealed that Germany is suffering from a large deficit;

In its governance and its administration and with its politicians ».

A Pew Research Center poll showed that while more Germans feel confident in their country's handling of the pandemic than Americans or British people, their approval of the government's performance decreased by 11 percentage points between June and December 2020.

Britain's model

The mood became more sour with the Germans watching other countries, especially Britain, where vaccination campaigns intensified, using the "Pfizer Bionic" vaccine, which was developed with the help of German taxpayers, while they were left waiting.

Much of the delays and production shortages are due to Germany's decision to allow the European Union to negotiate vaccines on its behalf.

But this solidarity has effectively hurt larger and wealthier countries, such as Germany.

Leaders in Brussels have since acknowledged mistakes in their joint negotiations, but that has done little to appease the Germans, who are still waiting for vaccines.

The Merkel government helped Biontech renovate a production facility it opened this month, hoping to ease the burden on the Pfizer plant in Belgium, which struggled to fulfill orders.

But it will take weeks, if not months, before supplies reach vaccination centers.

Vaccines are just one point of frustration.

And mayors have warned of the death of inner cities, if small shops are not allowed to reopen.

Some states have reopened schools, while others remain closed.

Doctors warn of the permanent psychological damage inflicted on children by the lockdown.

Parents, too, are frustrated by the lack of support for online learning.

In Germany, strict data protection laws prohibit the use of digital learning platforms located in the United States, but local solutions do not always work smoothly.

And in many public schools, education now includes sending lessons as email attachments for students to work through on their own.

Small and freelance business owners struggle to understand the rules for a business resume and whether they qualify for compensation.

Many of them struggle to survive, while others have given up.

Small businesses were hit more than the industrial sector, as the German economy contracted by 5% over the past year.

Lawsuits

In recent weeks, dozens of hairdressing salon owners across the country have gathered to file lawsuits against forced closures in each of the country's 16 states.

These coordinated efforts prompted Merkel and state governors to allow salons to reopen in early March, as long as the number of new infections did not increase significantly.

André Amberg, who runs a hairdresser in the central city of Gotha, has filed a lawsuit against the Thuringian state government.

In mid-December, he was forced to close the doors of his store and apply for compensation.

He said, "What frustrates me the most is that I am no longer able to make a decision for myself about my private life and working conditions," adding, "I am completely at the mercy of the government;

So, the Germans are waiting, and I wait for the leaders to come up with solutions;

I wait until the number of injuries drops, and I wait to receive the vaccination. ”

For a country that used to be first in Europe in terms of economic strength, and a reputation for efficiency and organization, the transformation the country was experiencing was not welcome.

In Germany, strict data protection laws prohibit the use of digital learning platforms located in the United States, but local solutions do not always work smoothly.

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