The current situation is highly precarious and threatens to deteriorate further. Despite the partial lockdown, which was introduced at the start of November, infection numbers are still far too high. Several hundred people are dying every day. Hospitals, and in particular medical staff, are already at the limit of their capacities, and the public health departments are overburdened. To regain control of the infection rate, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina recommends a two-step approach in its ad hoc statement, “Coronavirus pandemic: Use the end of year holidays to impose a strict lockdown”. The circumstances – holiday break for educational institutions and reduced operations for many businesses and public authorities – offer the opportunity to make significant progress in containing the pandemic.