After weeks of lockdown, the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Minister of Health can finally make a positive announcement: the coronavirus outbreak in Germany is “again under control”. 

Infection numbers in Germany have “shrunk significantly”

At a press conference in Berlin on Friday morning, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters that the social restrictions have been “successful”. “The infection numbers have shrunk significantly, especially the relative day-by-day number. The outbreak is today, again under control.”

“We have managed to bring exponential growth back to linear growth,” he said, adding that it was encouraging that, since April 12, more recoveries have been reported each day than new coronavirus infections. So far, the German healthcare system has managed to stay in “good shape,” Spahn said. 

Coronavirus has not yet been eradicated

According to figures published on Thursday by the Robert Koch Institute, the person-to-person infection rate in Germany has dropped to 0,7. This is considered a key indicator for politicians as they debate the gradual relaxing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany. 

“We will see whether this is stable,” said the President of the RKI, Lothar Wieler. He stressed that the disease has not yet been eradicated and that new infections could continue to occur. Chancellor Angela Merkel has previously said that “caution … not over-confidence” should govern Germany’s approach to easing lockdown measures. 

As of Friday morning, more than 134.400 coronavirus infections had been confirmed in Germany, with at least 3.827 deaths, according to the German Press Agency.