The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), spread to Germany on 27 January 2020, when the first case was confirmed and contained near Munich, Bavaria. The majority of the cases in January and early February originated from the headquarters of a car parts manufacturer there. On 25 and 26 February, multiple cases related to the Italian outbreak were detected in Baden-Württemberg. A large cluster linked to a carnival event was formed in Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, with the first death reported on 9 March 2020. New clusters were introduced in other regions via Heinsberg as well as via people arriving from China, Iran and Italy, from where non-Germans could arrive by plane until 17–18 March. German disease and epidemic control is advised by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) according to a national pandemic plan. The outbreaks were first managed in a containment stage, which attempted to minimise the expansion of clusters. The German government and several health officials stated that the country was well-prepared and initially did not implement special measures to stockpile medical supplies or limit public freedom. Since 13 March, the pandemic has been managed in the protection stage as per the RKI plan, with German states mandating school and kindergarten closures, postponing academic semesters and prohibiting visits to nursing homes to protect the elderly. Two days later, borders to five neighbouring countries were closed. Up to 22 March, all regional governments announced curfews or restrictions in public spaces. In all of Germany, these could only be visited by groups not exceeding two people, unless they were from the same household. Some of the Bundesländer imposed more restrictions, allowing people to leave their homes for certain activities only, including commuting to work, exercising or purchasing groceries. As of 1 May 2020, 163,894 cases have been reported with 6,697 deaths and approximately 120,400 recoveries. The low preliminary fatality rate in Germany, compared to Italy and Spain, has resulted in a and explanations citing the country's higher number of tests performed, higher number of available intensive care beds with respiratory support, absence of COVID-19 analyses in autopsies performed and higher proportion of positive cases among younger people. The head of the Robert Koch Institute warned that the German death rate would increase over time.

Robert J. Nurock (1938–2017) was a stock market analyst who served as a panelist during 1970 to 1989 on the influential PBS series Wall Street Week (1972-2002). He created the Technical Market Index termed "the Elves" for Wall Street Week, which was used until his retirement from the show in 1989. He was referred to as the 'Chief Elf', a reference to Robert's statements that the 'elves' compute his Technical Market Index. His index tracked 10 barometers of market momentum, investor psychology, and monetary conditions. New York Times reported that "Over the last 11 years, the elves' signals, both bullish and bearish, have been right 95.1 percent of the time in forecasting whether the market would be higher or lower 52 weeks later. Looking ahead six months, the elves have been right 75.8 percent of the time." The Elves recommended a buy when the October 1987 crash occurred. Nurock brushed off criticism, the market rebounded and reached the prior level in two years. However, missing the 500-point moves generated skepticism. In 1989, during a telecast, Nurock and show host Louis Rukeyser disagreed about the market. Nurock later resigned.In the place of Nurock's elves, Louis Rukeyser created his own index relying on 10 technicians each week. Like Nurock's elves, a plus, minus or neutral value was assigned to each opinion. An index of (+5) would be a buy, (-5) a sell. Unfortunately, the new Rukeyser index was found to be a contrarian indicator. Every single time the index was up, the market fell and each time the index fell, the market rose. Though Rukeyser's technicians were retired in 2001, Nurock's analyses had left a mark on the show. His use of the Technical Market Index on Wall Street Weekly raised public awareness of technical analysis as a valid method. Nurock's advisory business, Investor's Analysis, published an investment newsletter, The Astute Investor, from suburban Philadelphia until he moved to Santa Fe in 1994. In Santa Fe, he served as the Treasurer of the Fine Arts Committee and Budget Chair of FOCA, Friends of Contemporary Art, founding Chair of the Investment Committee of the Museum Foundation of New Mexico. He died on February 26, 2017 at his home in Santa Fe, NM at age 79.
Robert J. Nurock (1938–2017) was a stock market analyst who served as a panelist during 1970 to 1989 on the influential PBS series Wall Street Week (1972-2002). He created the Technical Market Index termed "the Elves" for Wall Street Week, which was used until his retirement from the show in 1989. He was referred to as the 'Chief Elf', a reference to Robert's statements that the 'elves' compute his Technical Market Index. He died on February 26, 2017 at his home in Santa Fe, NM at age 79.