Lauterbach's Corona decision: Review without remorse!

Lauterbach's Corona decision: Review without remorse!

Bonn, Deutschland - dispute over risk levels

A political earthquake shook Germany in February 2022, as Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) personally prevented a change of course in pandemic policy! While the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) wanted to downgrade the Corona risk from "very high" to "high", Lauterbach stood across. According to reports from the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" in cooperation with WDR and NDR, Lauterbach refused to consent with the indication that such a downgrade was not politically desirable.

Although the infection numbers were still worryingly high, the RKI insisted on an adaptation of the risk level. But the minister made it clear: "Technical supervision does not mean to nod," he defended his decision. The reason for his resistance? The minister feared that an early downgrade could trivialize the seriousness of the situation, at a time when numerous lives were at stake.

support and criticism

Not all share this view! According to the legal scientist Klaus Ferdinand Gärditz from the University of Bonn, Lauterbach's approach is by no means unproblematic. The minister has the right to override the RKI, but Gärditz criticized that he is hiding behind the authority. This moral dimension splits the minds, while the discussions are still continuing heated.

whether the controversy will ever dry up for the decision at that time remains questionable, because even a year and a half afterwards there are still high political waves about the risk assessment of Corona. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder now wants an end to this discussion, but the noise in the political leaf forest is far from silent!