On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel had a hopeful message for the nation: The experiment was working.
The infection numbers, Ms. Merkel announced, were not just stable but lower than those reported two weeks ago. “We have reached the goal of slowing the spread of the virus, of protecting our health care system from being overwhelmed,” the chancellor said at a news conference.
Germany, she said, was now in a position to reopen most aspects of its economy and society. “We can afford a little audacity,” Ms. Merkel said.
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Germany’s progress demonstrated that a combination of cautious, science-led political leadership and a regime of widespread testing, tracing and social distancing could allow countries to manage a controlled reopening.
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Face masks, already mandatory in shops and public transport across Germany, are fast becoming the new normal, seen everywhere from street protests to shop-window mannequins.
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Socializing, even at restaurants and bars now allowed to reopen, will be limited to two households, six feet apart.
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All shops will be allowed to reopen. Restaurants and hotels can resume in time for two long holiday weekends at the end of May.
All school children will see a classroom again before the summer holidays. Day care centers will start taking children next week, focusing on families most in need. Residents in nursing and care homes can receive visits from one person.
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Ms. Merkel struck a characteristically sober tone on Wednesday, warning that the freedoms could be quickly squandered by irresponsible behavior.
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Schools are scrambling to halve class sizes, stagger the start and end of classes, and enforce rigorous hygiene rules. Many shops have put disinfectant at the door, plexiglass at the cashier and floor markings to control customer queues.
One area with no reopening in sight for now is large public event space. Concerts, spectator sporting events and festivals are banned until at least Aug. 31.
