There is ongoing criticism from the federal states and municipalities of the new Infection Protection Act and the approach of the traffic light coalition to only allow significantly fewer comprehensive protection rules in everyday life in the future.

The German Association of Cities expects the new law to be corrected quickly: It “curtails the toolbox for states and municipalities to react quickly to the Corona situation,” said Markus Lewe, President of the Association of Cities, to the Funke newspapers.

It is "quite likely that the law will have to be corrected again soon".

Despite many warnings about the still increasing number of infections, the first nationwide corona protection requirements will no longer apply this Sunday.

3-G proof of being vaccinated, recovered or tested is no longer required for train travel with Deutsche Bahn, as has now been stipulated by law.

However, the mask requirement in local and long-distance public transport continues to apply.

"A step towards normality"

City council president Lewe also said that it was right to relax strict contact restrictions and 2G rules a little, since the omicron variant only rarely causes severe courses.

"But the next virus variant Deltakron is already in Germany and we don't know if it is more dangerous," warned the mayor of Münster.

The Infection Protection Act is “complicated and imprecise”.

Therefore, the countries would have to determine very quickly what applies when.

FDP leader Christian Lindner, on the other hand, defended the law: Germany is “now taking a step towards normality”.

The law finds “the right balance between individual and state health protection,” emphasized Lindner in the “Augsburger Allgemeine” on Saturday.

"Necessary protective regulations remain, and the federal states are also able to act with the hotspot regulation," added the Federal Minister of Finance.

"In this phase of the pandemic, we are strengthening people's personal responsibility again."

Further restrictions may apply to regional "hotspots" if the state parliament determines that the corona situation is particularly critical.

Most countries want to use a transitional period and maintain the current rules until April 2nd at the latest.

Berlin, for example, will retain the previously applicable corona measures until March 31, after which they will no longer apply, with a few exceptions.

The Senate decided on the extension according to the announcement on Saturday.

The Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) had already announced this after the Senate meeting last Tuesday and justified it with the Corona situation.

In Saxony-Anhalt, for example, where the corona incidence has jumped significantly above the 2000 mark, the state government is sticking to basic corona protection measures until April 2nd.

The state is thus using the transitional regulation adopted by the federal government in the Infection Protection Act that was amended on Friday.

Germany's neighboring country Austria is returning to the FFP2 mask requirement indoors in view of the large number of new infections.

On March 6, despite the continued high number of infections, it largely lifted its corona restrictions.