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The article said the government didn’t specify punishment for breaking this rule, but what would the existing statutory consequences be for disobeying an order like this?

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They avoid talking about it. In Bavaria we have a up to 25k € fine on violations (which I presume is backed by a German wide law). I think mention this fine is a next escalation.

Yeah that’s § 73 (2) IfSG:

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ifsg/__73.html

I guess they will escalate over time and fine only those people breaking the rules multiple times.

§ 113 StGB could be applicable if you resist officers enforcing the ban. Fine or up to three years. § 111 StGB could be applicable if you make Facebook posts calling for people to ignore the ban. Fine or up to five years.

The Infektionsschutzgesetz is lex specialis to the general criminal code.

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ifsg/

§ 73 provides for fines up to 2500 Euros or 25000 Euros, § 74 provides for up to five years imprisonment, § 75 provides for up to two years imprisonment.

I don’t remember it it was specified at the time but supposedly businesses in Berlin that didn’t follow the first set of safety precautions (retail stores closed, restaurants closed for indoor seating at 6pm, tables 1.5 meters apart, takeaway only after 6) got 5k fines if caught by the Ordnungsamt. So there is some effort at enforcement.

Up to 15,000€ as far as I understand.

Merkel explicitly said (in the press conference, answering a reporters question) that they did not discuss the issue of specific consequences today.

edit: Ah, yeah that might well apply. Would be an upper bound though.

Then the 15,000€ fines are a thing for breaking specific federal rules and I mixed things up. In in Bavaria we have those rules and Saarland has similar rules.

Presumably you'll be paid damages. The reason there is no mention of specific enforcement is that there is very obviously no constitutional standing for these kind of outlandishly dystopian rules. Their "enforcement" is an emergency court petition away from being entirely invalidated.

There are quite a few, the "Infektionsschutzgesetz", or whatever the official name is, being one of them. There are also national emergency laws and such. That's nothing new.

Infectious diseases were, in fact, specifically discussed and named as one of the limits of freedom of assembly, when our constitution was adopted.

There is absolutely nothing dystopian about taking serious measures during such events.

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