Democracy, honesty and responsibility: how Germany wins the war against COVID-19

The leading Spanish newspaper El Pais has analyzed German experience to answer the question: what makes up Germany’s relative success in the fight against the epidemic?

“In Germany, there was neither forced isolation, nor the collapse of medical institutions, nor even anything that looked anything like the Russian senseless police officer. The number of infected is 152,438 people and continues to grow. 5500 people died from the epidemic, which is much less than in other large countries.

The first component of success is that the government has been telling the truth from the very beginning. "Merkel explained that the virus would affect 60% to 70% of the population, and we realized that it was serious and that a safe distance must be maintained," says Tamer Osman, the owner of a small store in Berlin who is now sewing masks from printed fabric. The prestige and trust of Angela Merkel, which at the end of last year was already considered a "lame duck", has increased unprecedentedly: according to surveys, 83% trust her, 90% believe that the government is doing everything right. Merkel was in no hurry with either alarmist or reassuring statements, but when it became clear that it was not “just a flu,” she turned to the nation with an absolutely truthful and expert opinion. (She did not say, like the Russian authorities, that the noise around the epidemic was swollen or that “Germany” was an island of stability).

The second component of success is the parliamentary system, which is based on a compromise and consensus between the various political forces that make up the coalition. Plus, the existing federal system, when responsibility is distributed between the federal government, the lands and municipalities, with which, in turn, the chancellor and the federal government coordinate their actions. The Germans emphasize that the crucial role was played by medical facilities at the municipal level. (In a truly federal country, cannibalistic optimization can never occur to anyone).

The third success factor is the responsibility of citizens trusting their government. "Citizens compare Merkel with other leaders, and whom they see - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Boris Johnson, and even more appreciate a policy that has not resorted to warlike rhetoric or declared a state of emergency. The purpose of Merkel, who grew up in the German Democratic Republic , there was as little restrict as possible. "

The fourth factor is an excellent healthcare system. Since the beginning of the epidemic, Germany has increased the number of hospital beds with mechanical ventilation from 28 thousand to 40 thousand, and 12 thousand are currently free. In addition, the country has colossal research and production capacities that allowed it to quickly organize mass testing of the population and effectively suppress the virus distribution chains (which, of course, requires public confidence in the healthcare system and conscious participation in targeted quarantine measures). Medical laboratories dispersed throughout the country (161) can do from 300 thousand to 4 million tests per week.

The fifth factor is the direct monetary assistance of the government to entrepreneurs, employees and self-employed, which people receive without any paperwork, quickly, according to a statement. The state allocated 750 billion euros for these purposes. The owner of the Berlin compact disc store in two days received 5,000 euros from the regional and 9,000 euros from the federal authorities, which allows him to maintain his business in the absence of buyers.

As a result, Germany next week begins to abolish those few quarantine measures that have been introduced, in particular, it opens schools. At the same time, Merkel and other members of the government constantly warn against triumphalism, call for caution and talk about the high probability of the second wave ... "

Political analyst Tatyana Vorozheykina writes about this:

“I can not resist the obvious conclusion. A comparison of Germany and Russia makes it possible to understand who really won the war, who was able to overcome the past and build effective state institutions and a responsible society. And who once again profiled these opportunities and returned to an irresponsible society and a police state capable of only senseless violence. The crisis revealed this very clearly..."