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Technically, the issue should no longer be a problem; Thanks to Corona, members of the federal government and federal state prime ministers have gained a lot of experience with videoconferencing in recent weeks. However, what is uncertain is what will emerge at the link between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s leaders on Wednesday afternoon.
Will it really be possible to agree on a national calendar from closing? Or do the current strict measures in the fight against the virus remain for the moment?
The pressure on politics, public life and therefore also on the world of work is gradually returning to normal, particularly from the economy. Some recent studies provide relevant arguments for this. The national academy of science Leopoldina also called for a “realistic” schedule back to normal on Monday. Merkel had previously emphasized that Leopoldina’s advice should be taken especially seriously. On Wednesday morning, the so-called Crown Cabinet could make the first decisions on a possible departure time based on these recommendations.
Which political actors want to start quickly, who is holding back and what role do scientists and their studies play?
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet recently went on the offensive in a particularly audible manner. As the head of government of the most populous and economically strongest federal state, he sees himself in an exposed role anyway. Furthermore, North Rhine-Westphalia appears to have performed well in terms of crown infections and deaths. That is why Laschet considers his condition to be particularly well equipped for the first relaxation: some students will be taught again soon. The CDU man Laschet speaks, supported by his coalition partner FDP, of the return “to responsible normalcy.”
“Constant protection against infection remains our top priority,” emphasized FDP Vice President Joachim Stamp. “However, if the rules of hygiene and distance are consistently followed, social and economic life can gradually open up.” The Federal Greens also advocated for the first steps into everyday life on Tuesday.
Before Easter, Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther had also spoken in favor of relaxation after the holidays, but recently the CDU politician warned of too high expectations.
Laschet’s counterpart on the brake side is Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder. Since the beginning of the crown crisis, the CSU politician has defended a particularly strict line: Söder wants to adhere to this. Speaking of a “safe and prudent way out of the crown crisis”, cautious relief can only be provided with additional protection.
Above all, this should mean a mask requirement in public and in the workplace. Unlike Laschet in North Rhine-Westphalia, Söder in Bavaria still faces troubling crown figures, and there is also proximity to Italy, which is particularly affected by the virus. Söder also plays a special role in the prime minister round on Wednesday because he currently chairs the round of country chiefs.
Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff also warned of the “premature and general lifting” of the measures. “We are still in the midst of fighting the crown pandemic and we must be able to monitor every step and correct it if necessary.” Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow criticized the proposal to reopen primary schools as soon as possible. “The school system is not geared to such challenges,” the left man told SPIEGEL.
SPD Prime Ministers have agreed on a cautious line. “We need common indicators related to relaxation,” Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer told SPIEGEL. This includes, among other things, a low infection rate, extensive testing, and sufficient protective gear.
According to Dreyer, the indicators should be applied throughout the country, but the measures developed from them could be different: “In Bavaria, with its large number of cases and its proximity to the risk areas of Italy and Austria, we have a different situation than in Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania, where only relatively few people are sick. “
Berlin’s ruling mayor Michael Müller emphasized that it was still a matter of “protecting human lives and positioning hospitals in such a way that they were well prepared for the care of crown patients.” Müller told RBB that easing exit restrictions would not be realistic until April 27 at the earliest.
In fact, even if the federal and state governments agree on the first steps since Wednesday’s close, it is not said that these steps can also be implemented immediately. Then each country should review and prepare possible relief measures for them. “We will take the time to do this,” said Müller.
On Easter Monday, the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina issued a document with recommendations for gradual loosening of exit restrictions. The group includes 26 scientists from various disciplines, who recommend among other things that schools be reopened quickly and that masks be used on public transport.
The Robert Koch Institute endorsed the recommendations Tuesday. With the exception of “little details,” his institute sees the situation in a similar way, RKI President Lothar Wieler said. The RKI is of a different opinion only when it comes to school openings. According to Wieler, “from an epidemiological point of view it makes a lot of sense” to re-teach older students, since they adhere better to distance rules. La Leopoldina had proposed opening the primary and secondary schools first.
The official number of infected people only relates to infections that have been proven by testing. It is unclear how many people actually get new infections every day and have been infected so far without a positive result. Antibody tests are expected to solve this problem in the coming months.
The official death toll describes how many people have died from the virus. However, in how many cases the infection was the cause of death, it cannot be deduced from this. When making cross-border comparisons, it should be noted that different criteria are sometimes used to record an infection and count deaths.
Read more about this and what else you need to know about Corona data here.
NRW Laschet Prime Minister is supported by his own interdisciplinary team of experts. A document from the experts says that relaxation can be considered if it is clear that the health system “is not likely to be overwhelmed in the foreseeable future” and that there are conditions for better monitoring of the crisis.
A group of Göttingen researchers from the Max Planck Institute also believe that gradual relaxation is possible. The contact bans had apparently made a decisive contribution to halting the exponential spread of the virus. Scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research However, even tighten the measures.
The crown rules could still be different
If even science in Corona disagrees, this should not surprise political actors. And it may well be that after Wednesday the fight against the virus is carried out differently in some places, depending on the federal state regarding the effects on public life.
In Saxony, for example, it was announced Tuesday that hardware stores would reopen, in other federal states they never closed, which has caused confusion, especially in border areas. Exit restrictions have also been interpreted differently in different countries. On the other hand, federal states are affected differently by the virus and some measures.
The leader of the CDU parliamentary group, Carsten Linnemann, warned Tuesday at the Südwestrundfunk: “We need a standard.” It couldn’t be “that non-food stores open here in the state and not in the other.”
May. “I, also as chairman of the Federal Council, am confident that the federal states will act in a coordinated manner across the country,” said Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke. However, Woidke also does not want to rule out regional peculiarities.
