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The reform of the Infection Protection Act has overcome parliamentary obstacles. In the Bundestag, a majority of 415 MPs voted in favor of the reform on Wednesday to put the crown’s measures on a new legal basis in the future. 236 voted against, eight abstained, as announced by the President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU).
The Federal Council, which had met for a special session, also agreed. In the state chamber, the law received 49 votes, and thus a clear majority of the total 69 votes. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote the new law overnight. This was announced by the Office of the Federal President. Therefore, the reform may enter into force after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Federal Law.
The changes in the law are aimed at putting measures to protect against the corona pandemic on a more secure legal basis. The text of the law contains a catalog of possible protection measures against infection, including contact restrictions, business closures, and the obligation to use oral and nasal protection.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn defended the crown’s restrictions in the debate and campaigned for greater confidence in managing the crisis. The increase in the number of infections sooner or later led to increased suffering in intensive care units and a loss of control, said the CDU politician. SPD health politician Bärbel Bas rejected fears that the reform of the Infection Protection Act will expand the powers of the federal and state governments. “Quite the contrary is the case,” he said.
There are still protests against the crown policy in Berlin. Police continue to use water cannons against protesters. According to the police, more than 100 people have been arrested so far. One is in the triple-digit range, including the shorter freedom restriction cases, a spokeswoman for the authority said. A balance was not expected before Thursday.
Currently, the police are trying to move slowly with water cannons to clear the space in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the spokeswoman said. The protesters are “absolutely persistent”. The resolution of the protest takes time, since there are also children, for example. “It only goes slow, not martial.”
At the beginning of the debate, the AfD had initially tried to get the issue off the agenda, but failed due to unified resistance from the other groups. The parliamentary manager of the AfD parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, said: “Today’s bill is an authorization for the government in a way that has not existed since historical times.” MEPs from the other political groups rejected the accusations. The parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Carsten Schneider, said that the AfD was playing with the comparison with the Enabling Law of 1933. “They not only discredit our democracy, they make it despicable,” he emphasized.
