Coronavirus in Germany

Your coronavirus update

The corona pandemic and the numbers of people with COVID-19 are increasing in Germany, as elsewhere in Europe. We will keep you up-to-date on the spread of the virus and what the Federal Government and individual states are doing to slow it down. You can read the latest from Germany in our live news ticker and updates from the Federal Government.

More information

Where can I get help ?

How Germany is responding

Measures to contain the pandemic

Frequently asked questions

Research on the coronavirus

Discover Germany online

Coronavirus: Latest updates

The Federal Government informs about the Corona crisis

Where can I get help if I develop symptoms?

If you suspect you or someone else has the coronavirus, you can call the following numbers and find out what steps to take next:

Federal Ministry of Health corona hotline: 030 346465100
Emergency telephone number for the treatment of patients: 0800 0117722
Emergency medical service: 116117

How Germany is responding

Germany has initiated a series of measures to slow down the spread of the virus and alleviate its effects on the economy. Find out more here:

Video

Air traffic is suffering severely from Corona: parked Lufthansa aircraft in Frankfurt.

Let us explain

Help for the economy

Paris – deserted because of the Corona crisis.

Let us explain

Solidarity in times of the Corona virus

Kimmich (l.) and Goretzka launched the #WeKickCorona campaign

Solidarity in the crisis

Working together against Corona: more and more people are getting involved in helping each other. Introducing four great projects from Germany.

Germans income on the rise

Germany helps Italian patients

Corona to cost Germany billions

Was passiert, wenn Angela Merkel krank ist?

What happens if Angela Merkel can't work?

Interest on private loans suspended

German banks agree to a three-month moratorium on interest payments for private debtors affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Merkel urges unity in corona crisis

More coronavirus crisis measures

Financial aid for virus-hit firms

Coronavirus: Appeal to the young

Corona: Volunteers get trained for care

Making music against Corona: "Ode to Joy" from the balcony

Corona in Germany Timeline

Measures to contain the pandemic

The following measures are especially important for slowing down the spread of the virus:

Social distancing is crucial. This means: if you can, stay at home. Above all, events involving large numbers of people should be avoided. When it comes to interaction with older people, as little contact as possible is also best – however hard that may be. They are especially vulnerable.
Schools closed: German state governments have closed all schools for a number of weeks, and most playgrounds have also been shut.
Everyone should avoid using public transport as far as possible.
Hygiene rules should naturally be followed: thoroughly wash your hands; sneeze into the bend of your elbow; keep your distance from people with coughs, colds and fever; do not touch your face with your hands.

Frequently asked questions about the coronavirus

How did the coronavirus start?

According to our current state of knowledge, the first patients presented symptoms of a respiratory infection caused by a new kind of coronavirus in Wuhan, a city in China with 11 million inhabitants. Its exact origin is unclear; many of the early cases involved people who worked at a market in Wuhan. However, the initial infection could have occurred at another location.

What is the coronavirus?

SARS-CoV-2 is the correct designation for what is often known simply as coronavirus. SARS is the acronym for severe acute respiratory syndrome. The virus causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a lung disease for which there is currently no vaccine. The infection is spread by human-to-human transmission.

How many cases of coronavirus infection are there?

Numbers are increasing dramatically. You will find the respective totals for Germany and the world on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.

The virologist who explains the virus to us

Christian Drosten – Germany's government and population are listening to the researcher from the Berlin Charité in the corona crisis.

Research on the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

Companies and research institutes in Germany are working at full steam to gain a better understanding of the virus and find a vaccine. Important actors in this field include the Robert Koch Institute and several German biotech enterprises, such as CureVac in Tübingen.