Overview
- Charité virologist Christian Drosten testified in a public session on preparedness, defending lockdowns and mask rules enacted under Angela Merkel.
- He cautioned that future outbreaks may require different responses, emphasizing pathogen-specific tools rather than fixed playbooks.
- AfD representatives Stefan Homburg and Michael Nehls posed lengthy, accusatory questions and repeatedly interrupted, leaving Drosten little time to answer.
- Hearing chair Franziska Hoppermann intervened to restore order during a session that ran about three and a half hours.
- Members from the Greens and SPD condemned AfD tactics as corrosive to the inquiry, and the AfD has filed a censure request against Alena Buyx that is expected to be rejected.