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WDue to the worsening situation of the crown in Bavaria, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has summoned his cabinet for a special meeting this Sunday. According to the State Chancellery, the Council of Ministers wants to discuss “new measures” by video at 12 noon. Specifically, this should mean a further tightening of course in the fight against the pandemic.
In recent days, Söder had repeatedly indicated that he considered a tougher course necessary due to the increasing number of new infections. During a visit to Corona’s hotspot in Passau on Thursday, for example, he said the extension of the partial lockdown decided this week by the federal and state governments will not be enough to sustainably reduce the number of new infections. Although the exponential growth that was still present in October has now stopped, the numbers will continue to rise. The Bavarian state government is also concerned about the uncontrolled outbreak in hotspots such as the Passau and Nuremberg regions.
In this context, Söder spoke of “improvements” and publicly expressed doubts that the relaxation of contact requirements that had been planned for the period between Christmas and New Year was still justified in the current infection situation. “If the numbers stay like this, it will also become clear that the number of contacts must also be reduced on New Years Eve, for example,” Söder said on Thursday. However, according to reports, the easing will continue to be fulfilled during the Christmas period.
Words of warning from the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag
Meanwhile, the SPD in the Bundestag calls for contact restrictions not to be relaxed at Christmas if the number of corona infections persists. Bärbel Bas, deputy chairman of the parliamentary group responsible for health, told the German press agency: “If the figures remain at this high level until December 20, the measures should not be relaxed during the holidays. The current restrictions should remain until January ”. Otherwise, the number of infections in January and February was even higher than today, necessitating further restrictions.
Bas said the “blocking light” prevented a further increase in new corona infections. “The numbers have been at a very high level for weeks.” The number of deaths has also increased. The burden of nurses in intensive care units is huge, as it is in health authorities. They urgently need help ”. The number of infections should decrease. “We have to closely monitor development.”
Prime Minister Hans: “Don’t take risks”
Like Söder, Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans (CDU) urges caution with a view to New Year’s Eve. “One thing is clear: we must not take risks, not even on New Year’s Eve,” said the CDU politician of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “That is why we should, if the numbers remain at this high level, play it safe and return to current strict Corona regulations before New Year’s Eve.” as in some places in access points.
The federal and state governments decided on Wednesday to extend the current partial lockdown until January 10. For the period from December 23 to January 1 at the latest, it had previously been planned to allow meetings “with close relatives and friends” up to a maximum of ten people, so children up to 14 years of age should be excluded from the count. New Year’s Eve fireworks should be avoided and “the use of pyrotechnics in busy squares and streets is prohibited.”
Passau extends exit restrictions
At what points Bavaria wants to harden its course is open. More difficult measures are conceivable, for example in the field of schools and in retail, but also tighter exit restrictions. Anyone who has listened to Söder over the past few days has found many indications that he, unlike his coalition partner Free Voters, prefers significantly stricter rules. The country “cannot sleep forever,” he said.
Due to the persistently high number of corona infections, the city of Passau and the Regen district in Lower Bavaria extended exit restrictions there on Friday. In Nuremberg there are also strict guidelines for people to leave their homes.
Nationwide, the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety recorded 4,402 new infections on Friday (as of 8 am); since the outbreak of the pandemic, more than 223,000 people in the Free State have been shown to have contracted the virus. The number of deaths is 4176, 159,790 are considered recovered. In much of the country, authorities can no longer trace the chains of infection.
