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A day before the talks at the Chancellery, the countries apparently agreed on the Crown’s rules for the holidays: There should be relaxed contact restrictions between Christmas and New Years. And there is no ban on the sale of firecrackers.
From the point of view of the federal states, Corona’s December calendar was already largely fixed, and now prime ministers have agreed on several open detailed issues. This applies especially to the delicate subject of Christmas.
Therefore, there should be uniform rules of contact during the holidays. In the period between December 23 and January 1, meetings of a household with unfamiliar relatives or people outside the home of up to ten people can be made possible, according to a draft resolution cited by the dpa news agency. Children up to 14 years old are exempt from this.
Call for voluntary isolation before the festival
For the days leading up to Christmas, the federal states are appealing to the people: they should quarantine themselves at home for several days if possible. “This can be supported by the Christmas school holidays which may be preferable from December 19, 2020,” the newspaper says. With self-quarantine, the risk of corona infections in the area around the celebrations should be kept as low as possible.
“Of course it has to be a Christmas party that you can also celebrate with your grandparents and grandchildren,” said Berlin Mayor Michael Müller. ARD and ZDF morning magazine. The SPD politician is also currently chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference and is therefore responsible for coordinating the interests of the states before consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.
Ban on sale of firecrackers
Now a New Year’s Eve compromise is emerging as well: New Year’s Eve fireworks in public places and busy streets should be banned to avoid larger groups. “The responsible local authorities determine the places and streets affected,” says the draft. Basically, it is “recommended” to avoid the New Year’s Eve fireworks at the turn of the year; therefore, the sale is not prohibited.
Face-to-face classes for younger students
The joint proposals agreed by the Prime Ministers are a good basis for discussions with the Chancellor. “I also think that on this basis, there may still be two or three changes, but we really have a very closed situation that we want to implement together,” Müller said.
On the subject of schools, Müller stated: “We want to maintain face-to-face teaching as much as possible.” This applies particularly to the lower grades, where the lessons are particularly important for social reasons. It could be a bit more flexible with older students, for example, looking at hybrid lessons with a mix of face-to-face and digital offerings. A general mask requirement should also be recommended for these upper age groups.
Müller admitted, however, that the situation in the various federal states and in schools often also differs between the years. Therefore, a differentiated approach should also be possible.
It is still unclear whether anti-crown measures should always be extended 14 days from December 20 if the infection rate does not decrease significantly, or if the course will be discussed again in mid-December. It also remained open if there would be exceptions for areas with low infection rates.
Partial lock until December 20: stricter contact rules
Negotiations between the heads of the state chancelleries and the head of the chancellery, Helge Braun (CDU), will resume at noon. A document is expected to be drawn up later in the day, based on which a consultation with Merkel will take place on Wednesday.
It was already clear in advance that the states wanted to extend the crown requirements from November to December 20. If the partial closure is extended, restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities that have been closed since the beginning of November would remain closed. The extension of the measures is aimed at significantly improving the situation of the crown. The current contact restrictions will also be tightened again. “Private meetings with friends, relatives and acquaintances should be limited to your own home and another home, but in any case to a maximum of five people.” There are currently ten people or two households.
The federal government could insist on stricter measures
According to information from dpa, skepticism was expressed in country circles about whether the foreign minister would be satisfied with the countries’ proposals. The federal government is expected to impose stricter requirements for school regulations and Christmas requirements than states are willing to settle. During the most recent talks a week ago, Merkel failed with a proposal for more extensive contact restrictions and regulations in schools due to a veto from the federal states.
Following consultations with the federal states, the chancellor wants to make a government statement in the Bundestag on Thursday, government spokesman Steffen Seibert announced. The federal government had already promised to extend November aid to provide financial support to businesses affected by the shutdowns and solo freelancers such as artists if the partial shutdown runs through December. This is likely to cost billions more.
