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Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has demanded understandable and pragmatic regulations in the fight against Corona and called on citizens to take a joint effort against the third wave of pandemics.

“Let's all get together, dear compatriots!

Let's get what we're made of, ”he said in a televised address recorded on Friday that was to be broadcast on Saturday.

“Let's not only be outraged at the others or at those up there.

Let's not constantly show what is not possible, but rather that it can be done if everyone does their part. "

In his Easter address, Steinmeier admitted a "crisis of trust" and errors in testing, vaccination and digitization.

“After 13 months, perseverance slogans don't help.

All the appeals to patience and reason and discipline become dull in these grueling times. ”The head of state warned urgently against political controversy as an end in itself.

The federal and state governments, parties or coalitions and surveys should not play the main role.

"We need clarity and determination, we need understandable and pragmatic regulations so that people have orientation, so that this country can get what it is made of," he demanded.

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The pandemic is holding the mirror up to Germany, said Steinmeier and called a "tendency to want to regulate everything, our fear of risk, the shifting of responsibility".

It will have to be worked out how this can be changed and how the institutions can be made more crisis-proof.

In the middle of the third wave of pandemics, it now takes “all strength from all sides to break it”.

The Federal President set the people on "severe restrictions" in the next few weeks.

Just as the pandemic demands a lot from the citizens, they should also demand a lot from politics.

The expectation of those in power is clear: "Get together!"

"Trust in democracy nothing else than this: trust ourselves"

In a democracy, trust is based “on a very fragile agreement between the citizens and their state.

You, state, do your part;

I mean citizens ", warned the Federal President.

In the end, however, “trust in democracy is nothing more than this: trusting ourselves”.

There is every reason for this, said Steinmeier, with a view to the vaccines developed in record time.

He trusts all vaccines approved in Germany, Steinmeier emphasized against the background of his vaccination with the vaccine from Astrazeneca on Thursday.

Vaccination is the most important step on the way out of the pandemic - "Take part!", He appealed.

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Steinmeier admitted that the way out of the pandemic is longer than hoped.

Many neighboring states are hit even harder, others are further than Germany, no one has reached their goal.

"We should only take stock at the end."

The Federal President also tried to give people hope at Easter.

A few months ago after the first corona wave, people wanted to see themselves “with satisfaction as the pandemic world champion”.

"Today we outdo each other in black painting." He asked himself: "Why does it always have to be the superlative in Germany - exultant or saddened to death?"

The truth is: You are not a pandemic world champion, but you are also not a total failure.

“We doubt a lot, but we can also do a lot.

And now it's about ability, not doubt, that matters. ”The Federal President appealed:“ Let's have confidence in ourselves, and let's take care of each other! ”