[ad_1]
There is a depressing atmosphere in the Chancellery on Wednesday night. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is determined as she justifies the day’s decisions together with Berlin Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). “We have to act,” says Merkel, “if we don’t want to enter a national health emergency.”
But Merkel, Müller and Söder also feel the burden. You know: The tough measures taken in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus will cause many more conflicts in the coming weeks. Because only seven months after the first closure, public life in Germany will be partially closed again.
Müller makes it clearer how much he struggled with himself. It was “very difficult for him to make these decisions,” says the SPD head of country. “We know what unreasonable demands and restrictions they put on people.”
Restaurants must close, only members of two households can meet in public, events are prohibited (read an overview of resolutions here). The “blackout light,” as it is often called, is likely to hit parts of the economy hard, even if there should be financial compensation for businesses and schools and daycare centers remain open. Which at least allows many parents to continue working.
The goal of Merkel and the 16 prime ministers: they want to stop the exponential spread of the virus. The measures are initially limited in time until the end of November, and their effectiveness will be verified in two weeks. The hope: If the daily number of infections falls in November, the requirements could be relaxed in December. Then at least Christmas would be saved with the family.
The Chancellor says the harsh conditions are also necessary because 75 percent of infections no longer know where they occurred. In addition, there are a growing number of people who need intensive medical treatment. That number has doubled in the last ten days. “The curve has to flatten out,” says Merkel. As in the spring, this can only be successful if everyone shows solidarity and significantly reduces their contacts with other people.
Discussion of rules for apartments.
Unlike in previous months, this time around relatively little controversy arises from video conferencing. In previous rounds, participants had often fiercely argued over the proper measures. This time the prime ministers clash with Merkel only on the issue of contacts in private homes. At the end of the day, there is no rigid regulation, only an appeal: contacts must be reduced to the absolute minimum necessary, parties at home, for example, are “unacceptable given the serious situation in our country,” says the resolution.
Söder later praised the group’s unity. More recently, the meetings were “often fragmented,” he says, but this time it was “a strong day for politics.”
But then one of them leaves: Thuringia’s head of government, Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke), only partially supports the decisions. He takes note of the minutes and wants to present the measures to his cabinet and to the Thuringian state parliament.
Dissatisfaction with the Chancellery
Something else made the deal easier that day: Unlike Merkel’s previous rounds, the country’s leaders had already gathered for a preliminary meeting in the morning. This vote did not take place under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Markus Söder. That had upset many.
Possible conflicts are being controlled beforehand under the new head of MPK, Müller. Right at the beginning of the circuit, the ruler of Berlin criticized the fact that the state chancelleries of the federal states had only received the draft resolution from the Federal Chancellery around 10:30 pm the night before. Many colleagues are “dissatisfied with having to go back to work with a staff that only arrives at very short notice”.
In the joint appearance, however, Müller tried, like Söder and Merkel, to emphasize the cohesion of the group. The chancellor, who two weeks ago made clear her dissatisfaction with the resolutions, was conciliatory. His prognosis, according to which the decisions at that time were not enough and that they would have to meet again 14 days later, had been correct.
When asked about this, Merkel says that two weeks ago there was no political acceptance for such strict measures, not just among prime ministers. His conclusion: “This is politics.”
But the policy also means that the measures have yet to be implemented. And it is uncertain whether the country’s leaders will all adhere to the joint decisions, despite all the demonstrative unity. A uniform line was proclaimed more frequently in the days of Corona, and was undermined again the next day.
