Dear Reader,

Today we received some good news - lockdowns and school closures as legitimate tools for fighting the spread of the coronavirus will soon be a thing of the past.

The ‘traffic light’ parties of SPD, FDP and Greens, who hold a majority in the new Bundestag, published a proposal to this effect today.

The proposal foresees an end to the state of emergency at the end of November to be replaced by a much more limited powers state governments can apply where cases remain high.

The Bundestag first voted in March 2020 to give the executive branch special powers to manage the pandemic. The federal government, in co-ordination with state leaders, has since used these powers to prevent people from leaving their homes, force restaurants and hotels to close, impose limits on whom one can meet, and more.

These extraordinary powers have been extended at three-month intervals ever since, with the last extension coming in August.

The traffic-light parties plan a transitional period until March. …