Labour and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil announced that the government is planning to introduce measures to ensure that Germans have the right to work from home, either part-time or full-time, after the pandemic. The proposal was supported by politicians across different parties.
Lockdown relaxation
Monday will see the reopening of playgrounds, churches and museums, while Angela Merkel warned Germans to maintain social distancing or risk a resurgence of the outbreak.
Schools are set to reopen starting next week and will stagger breaktimes and split playgrounds into zones to separate pupils as much as possible, with PE and music lessons cancelled.
Protests and privacy
Despite social distancing restrictions, around 3000 demonstrators gathered in Berlin and other cities for May Day protests on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, a ZDF camera crew faced an attack which left multiple members in hospital.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier insisted Germany’s lockdown restrictions are democratic and not threatening civil liberties, as they are in line with the approaches of other nations.
The government abandoned its project to develop a contact tracing smartphone app amid privacy concerns. An app standard created by Apple and Google will be used instead.
Elsewhere
Prospectpublished a detailed piece on Germany’s extensive testing system, comparing the country’s approach with the UK’s.
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