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Before the Bundestag, Chancellor Merkel defended the extension of the “closing light”. The goal of reversing the trend of corona infections is still far from being achieved. The opposition criticized the “secret agreements”.
A day after further consultations with the prime minister, Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the agreement on a prolonged partial blockade in the Bundestag. He spoke of a “lateral movement” that had been achieved with respect to new corona infections, but that is not yet a turnaround.
A return to a partial lockdown in early November was “inevitable” and the measures had led to population contacts being cut by around 40 percent, Merkel continued. It was inconceivable, he stressed, where we would be today if this national effort had not been addressed.
Relaxation would have been “irresponsible”
But the number of infections “is stagnating at too high a level,” Merkel warned that in some regions of Germany they would even increase. The number of patents in intensive care units continues to rise, only on Wednesday the Robert Koch Institute had reported a new record with more than 400 deaths in one day. “That should fill us with concern,” warned the CDU politician. That is why it would have been “irresponsible” to relax protection measures, especially contact restrictions.
“The worst, the excessive demands on the health system, has been avoided so far,” Merkel emphasized. That is “a first success, but not yet sustainable.” If the intensive care units were full, it would be too late. Even a glance at the EU’s neighboring countries should lead us to the conviction that “we cannot afford to be overwhelmed by this.”
The number of infections should decrease, everywhere
The goal of the federal and state governments remains the same as in recent weeks: the so-called incidence value should fall back to the level of a maximum of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week. According to Merkel, health authorities will be able to re-trace contacts and better limit the spread of the virus. But there are currently 62 districts across the country in which the incidence value is even less than 100,000 inhabitants for more than 200 new infections in a week. The same applies to the city-state of Berlin. In these areas, the measures must be hardened again, beyond the decisions taken for December.
Merkel emphasized several times that the number of infections had to fall across the country: it was no use if the numbers in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were low, but increased in Thuringia and Saxony. “The average does not help us,” emphasized the chancellor.
All areas of society must be protected
In her government statement, Merkel summarized the measures taken for the partial shutdown. All areas must be protected: health, social affairs, education, economy. Protecting all of this serves social cohesion.
Especially in regards to the mask requirement and stricter distance regulations for retail customers from December, he took a more detailed position: the mask could reduce the risk of infection and serve as protection. But it cannot guarantee absolute security. That is why the strictest requirements are necessary. “We must not lull people into a false sense of security,” Merkel warned.
A “week of protection” before Christmas
With a view to Christmas, Merkel called on people to observe “a week of protection” before the festival. Special regulations should apply during the days of Christmas and the turn of the year, for example, with somewhat relaxed contact restrictions. The federal and state governments advise entering into voluntary quarantine beforehand, “so that the number of infections does not skyrocket during the holidays,” as Merkel said in the Bundestag today. That is why the federal and state governments wanted to consult with the churches on the subject of worship services. They should not assume the character of an important event.
Greater knowledge gives hope
Merkel left open how things will continue in January. Before Christmas, he wants to consult with the heads of country again. Merkel does not assume that there will be a relaxation beforehand.
Once again, he called the crown pandemic “the greatest challenge since World War II, for Germany, the EU and the entire world.” And even now we have some difficult months ahead. “Winter will be difficult, but it will end,” Merkel said. Because there is hope, on the one hand progress in the search for vaccines, on the other hand because “we have much greater knowledge about the virus than at the beginning of the pandemic.” “We know how it works,” Merkel said. And that is why we also know that “the virus cannot be fooled, it cannot be avoided.” And so Merkel concluded with the call now almost like a mantra: Everyone must actively contribute to reducing the number of infections. “We have to defend each other and each other. If we take this seriously, we will also come out of the crisis.”
The federal government “takes measures in sight”
The leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, praised the resolutions of the federal and state governments as “appropriate, understandable and realistic.” The leader of the union parliamentary group Ralph Brinkhaus also basically approved the crown requirements, which were also stricter in December. But he wanted “more consistent measurements.” “This little by little ‘always one by one’ wears us down,” he said. Uniform strategies for so-called hotspots were lacking, as well as comprehensive and compelling strategies for nursing homes and rapid corona tests. He also sees “still potential” with regard to schools, Brinkhaus added.
In the face of financial aid in the crown crisis, Brinkhaus demanded that the federal states contribute to the costs: “The federal states get more than half of the tax revenue with the municipalities, and I hope the federal states will finally settle. financially raise this issue and not just pass resolutions and then present the bill to the federal government. ” The federal government is allocating up to 17,000 million euros for greater support to companies and companies in December.
From the point of view of Anton Hofreiter, leader of the Greens, the longest partial blockade is “the minimum that is needed”. However, he objected that with the current deadline for the measures until January, the government was only operating on sight, that there was a lack of “predictability and foresight.”
From breakwater to stagnation
Among others, FDP leader Christian Lindner received significantly harsher criticism: the desired “November breakwater” had turned into a “December stalemate.” In view of the “explosive costs” in particular, he does not believe that the German government’s strategy can be sustained in the long term.
The president of the left-wing parliamentary group, Dietmar Bartsch, accused the federal government of serious omissions:
“Whether in schools, trains, nursing homes or hospitals, the federal government has done very little in the eight months. Every theater has prepared better for the Corona winter than the federal government.”
Bartsch also criticized the Bundestag’s limited involvement in the Corona resolutions. The body can only “debate it a bit in hindsight.” He asked Merkel to explain her government’s approach to the future before deciding on measures. “In case of severe restrictions on fundamental rights, the Bundestag has to decide, no matter how annoying you are.”
The issue of codetermination also took AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel as an occasion for bitter criticism. He spoke of a “round dance” of the Chancellery and the Prime Minister who had “met in the virtual back room.” Weidel called the measures, especially the contact restrictions, “inappropriate” and “excessive.” It is not a government business who meets whom in their private rooms, when or in what context someone celebrates Christmas. The “collateral damage” caused by the stringent requirements is “already greater than that caused by the virus.”
