Icon: enlarge
Medical ethicist Woopen: "Short-term, reactive thinking"
Photo: Marcus Simaitis / DER SPIEGEL
Woopen, 58, heads the Chair for Ethics and Theory of Medicine at the University of Cologne and advises the
EU Commission
as Chair of the European Ethics Council
.
SPIEGEL:
Ms. Woopen, the federal government sees the shutdown as the only way to slow down the infection rate.
Is there really no alternative?
Woopen:
What we've been experiencing since the first lockdown is - apart from the app and the vaccination - short-term, reactive thinking in terms of limitations.
Good strategies to make things possible again and at the same time keep the numbers low are not realized.
SPIEGEL:
The government's strategy is to minimize contacts.
Woopen:
But that's not enough.
It didn't work in November, wasn't enough over Christmas - and because that is the case, we now have even more stringent measures.
A lockdown is not a permanent instrument.
I have repeatedly emphasized that we have additional options available to usefully expand the one-dimensional concept.
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.