[ad_1]
A significant tightening of the blockade in Germany could also lead to the suspension of local and long-distance public transport.
According to a “Bild” report, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to speak with the prime minister about stricter crown measures before January 25. A significant tightening of the blockade, which could also lead to the suspension of local and long-distance public transport, should be discussed. However, such a move has not been decided.
The reason for the pressure for more restrictions is the fear of the spread of highly contagious crown mutants. Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann had previously said he wanted to speak to Merkel about advancing the next round of federal and state governments, scheduled for January 25. The blocking measures so far apply until the end of January. However, according to information from the Reuters news agency, there is still considerable resistance from national circles.
RKI wants a harder block
In government circles, it was said late Thursday that an extension of lockdown regulations in February was highly likely anyway, given the continued high number of new infections. Real decisions can only be made from next week. The president of the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, said on Thursday that during the weekend it would really be known to what extent the high number of infections would be influenced by the increase in meetings during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
According to an RKI analysis, the behavior of German citizens in the second crown lockdown remains too inconsistent to control the pandemic in a timely manner. The above pandemic rules don’t go far enough for the Federal Institute. “These measures that we are taking now, for me it is not a complete blockade,” RKI president Wieler said on Thursday. “There are still too many exceptions and it is not strictly enforced.”
1244 Crown death Thursday
In the face of more contagious mutations of the coronavirus, he added: “There is a possibility that the situation will get worse.” Until now, according to RKI statistics, it has not been possible to massively reduce infection rates in Germany. With 1,244 people, as many deaths were reported in the 24 hours of Thursday as never before since the start of the pandemic.
Therefore, the RKI considers a stricter lock based on computational models sensible. Rules leading to fewer contacts must be tightened, said epidemiologist Dirk Brockmann. “All the models agree that this has to happen more massively and efficiently.” Germany must reach a stage where the incidence is decreasing substantially and rapidly. “The appearance of the dead depresses me enormously,” said RKI President Wieler.
Home office whenever possible
Inconsistent compliance with pandemic regulations in Germany can have many faces for Wieler: for example, companies that have good hygiene concepts for their offices, but then large groups of colleagues meet for lunch in the dining room. “We need more responsible employers,” he warned. And home office whenever possible.
But you probably also need more responsible citizens: according to RKI’s mobility analysis, Sunday excursions in December, for example, barely decreased, very different from the first lockdown in spring. At Christmas there were fewer long trips, but overall mobility only decreased by 10 to 15 percent compared to the previous year, according to Brockmann’s analysis. That’s not enough.
“There is room for improvement in all areas,” Wieler said. Paint a picture of behavior in the country: “It is like standing in the rain, not opening the umbrella and then saying that the umbrella does not work.”
(APA / Reuters / dpa)
