„We must not risk that day care centres and schools will close again and that children are forced to remain at home for weeks because we have accepted higher infection rates due to lax rules at family parties,“ Saskia Esken, co-leader of the Social Democrats, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper.

Ralph Brinkhaus, leader of the CDU/CSU conservative parliamentary bloc, said: „Unfortunately since the start of summer a certain recklessness has spread.“