ABSTRACT
As a federal country, governments and administrations at all three levels were involved in the public health response in Germany. While the federation established the legal framework, the states and the local governments not only had to implement the regulations but also have important competencies necessary to fight the pandemic. The ‘meetings’ of the Federal Chancellor and the Minister Presidents of the states first agreed on a sharp lockdown in March 2020, but started to organise the re-opening of the states autonomously, taking varying regional and local infection rates into account. Local health administrations and local police organised the tracing of contacts, compliance with social distancing rules and hygienic regulations. The federal government implemented many costly programs to stabilise the economy, using traditional instruments such as short-term allowances, and new ones (such as financial support for enterprises, hospitals, and cultural institutions), which often were complemented by the states. All these financial programs were funded by a record amount of borrowing which got an exceptional permit of the Federal and State Parliaments.
