Nationwide, the incidence values are still on the way to uniqueness.
The masks fall on streets and squares, and people queue in front of beer gardens to get a seat.
It could be a wonderful, almost carefree summer like last year when the first corona wave was successfully broken.
If only it weren't for the insidious, highly infectious Delta mutant from India.
In December, the less dangerous British alpha variant had already ruined all of the federal government's optimistic opening plans.
The question is not whether, but “when and under what conditions” the delta variant will be the dominant form of the pathogen, says the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler.
He looks with concern to Great Britain, where the Delta variant is spreading rapidly, especially among younger people, despite a majority of first-time vaccinations.
In contrast to winter, however, a fourth wave could at least be flattened significantly if the rate of effectively protected second vaccinated persons increases significantly more than it does now by the end of summer.
And as in the spring, victory in this race against the virus depends on the supply of vaccine.
The CureVac flop and the delivery failure at the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson make the race against time difficult.
The widespread relaxation of many corona restrictions could also take revenge in autumn.