Angela Merkel

On 20 April 2020, Merkel explains why early improvements did not make rapid reopening risk-free. She connects the reproduction number, delayed consequences of changing behaviour and the practical work of tracing contacts. Her account links a statistic to a decision about pace, while openly acknowledging uncertainty about the effects of easing restrictions. Read this as an explanation of Germany's choices at that moment, rather than a timeless set of pandemic rules or proof that each measure was optimal.