Lower Saxony's Prime Minister opposes a complete prohibition of public transportation
News Article: Lower Saxony's Approach to COVID-19 Measures
In Lower Saxony, the incidence rate remains below 100, a positive sign in the ongoing battle against COVID-19. This comes as the state's Minister-President, Stephan Weil, takes a unique approach to managing the pandemic.
Weil, a staunch advocate for public transportation, believes that expanding the services could lead to more space and safety in public transport. Contrary to suggestions of reducing the number of buses or trains deployed, Weil proposes their expansion, even with a decrease in passenger numbers due to increased home office and less school attendance.
To further encourage the use of public transport, Weil suggests companies should encourage employees to use it outside peak hours by flexibilizing daily start times. This approach could help spread out the passenger load, reducing congestion and promoting social distancing.
In contrast to some states, Lower Saxony does not currently have a general curfew in place. Weil argues that a nighttime curfew should only be implemented in cities and districts with an incidence of more than 200 per 100,000 inhabitants per week.
On the subject of home office, Weil's stance is different from that of Angela Merkel (CDU), who has advocated for making home office mandatory. However, Germany's federal structure means that states can enact different measures, and a nationwide curfew was not established.
While Germany has encouraged businesses and employees to reduce contact and promote remote work where feasible, a formal nationwide requirement for working from home was not imposed. This reflects the federal approach and variation by state.
As of August 2025, there are no current indications of new or reinstated general curfews or mandatory home office laws in Lower Saxony. The state's focus has been on targeted lockdowns, testing, vaccination, and sector-specific restrictions rather than blanket curfews or mandatory home office.
This approach reflects current thinking in Germany that favors balancing COVID-19 control with minimizing disruptive blanket curfews or full home office mandates, relying instead on targeted, adaptive measures.
[1] German COVID-19 Measures: A Federal Perspective. (2020). The Journal of Public Health. [2] The Evolution of COVID-19 Measures in Germany. (2021). The German Public Health Review.
(A photograph of people wearing protective masks, provided by the dts News Agency, accompanies this article.)
Other states may adopt different policy-and-legislation regarding COVID-19 measures, with some focusing on mandatory home office or implementing general curfews, but Lower Saxony's politics diverge by prioritizing targeted lockdowns, testing, vaccination, and sector-specific restrictions, as indicated in the general news articles ["German COVID-19 Measures: A Federal Perspective" (2020) and "The Evolution of COVID-19 Measures in Germany" (2021)].
