Leading members of the country's parliament, or Bundestag, said that although coronavirus infections have been rising again recently, they did not see the need to prolong the "epidemic situation" which it was first declared in March 2020 and has been repeatedly extended since then. They said that the situation had fundamentally changed due to the fact that about two-thirds of the population had been vaccinated against the virus.

The health emergency situation declaration had enabled federal and state governments to order key coronavirus measures without the approval of the national and regional parliaments.

"There will no more be school closures, lockdowns or curfews again," said Dirk Wiese, the deputy head of the center-left Social Democrats parliamentary group. He added that the pandemic still needed to be handled responsibly, but that restrictions on civil rights needed to be eased again.

Despite the Nov. 25 expiration of the "epidemic situation," some measures like obligatory mask wearing in public spaces, restrictions on entry to certain venues to only those who have been vaccinated or financial support for workers who have been hit hard by the pandemic will stay in place until March. In addition, individual states can still decide to again implement stricter measures if needed.