Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I tease my German friends all the time about their strict obedience to authority.....
But let's not get carried away with the cultural stereotypes. Since I have close family over there, including some elderly high-risk relatives, I'm following German media quite closely; the internet allows that pretty much in real time these days.
They are having the same issues and discussions as we do. Different state governors aren't always on the same page, there are heated discussions about re-opening. Most German schoolkids have been back in school for some weeks, by the way.
But there is no question that the governmental structure and the acceptance of government's role both in helping business and protecting people makes faster action more acceptable, and thus more effective.
Case in point: in a district not far from where my folks live, a concentrated outbreak of Covid cases at a meat plant led to a shutdown of the entire district a few days ago. With the start of school holidays imminent, most German states with major holiday destinations immediately imposed a no-stay order for any people with an address in that area, meaning if you had booked a trip or hotel room, it was cancelled and you were not allowed to come. Bam. And that is that.
Obviously, it would not be that easy here, even if the political will existed. And philosophically speaking, that's probably good in general. But I do find myself having to explain to Germans that the majority of Americans really aren't as feckless as we look to the world right now, where our fight over masks sounds a lot like a fight over the right to run a red light. A German headline I read just yesterday loosely translated as "America seems to have just given up".