On 22 April 2020, early in the Covid pandemic, Health Minister Jens Spahn spoke in the Bundestag during government question time. He asked for understanding for hard decisions made under uncertainty. He said: dass wir miteinander wahrscheinlich viel werden verzeihen müssen in ein paar Monaten, that in a few months we will probably have to forgive each other a great deal. Years later, the sentence was still quoted in the dispute over his purchases of face masks.