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A region in southern Thuringia is currently by far the largest crown bastion in the country. Nowhere are there so many new infections per inhabitant as in the Hildburghausen district. But how did development come about? The mayor of the district city tries to give an explanation.
The most severely affected corona hotspot in Germany is currently in southwestern Thuringia. With 602.9 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in a week (incidence of 7 days), a value of more than 600 was reached in the district of Hildburghausen for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. This is also by far the highest number of cases per capita in Germany: the Bavarian city of Passau is the second most severely affected, with a 7-day incidence of 428.
Since Wednesday there has been a severe blockade in the district of Hildburghausen. Until December 13, people can no longer leave their homes without a valid reason. Schools and kindergartens were closed. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there are currently 586 active infections in the region, which has around 63,000 inhabitants. But what is the reason for the sharp increase in corona cases in the region?
The mayor of the city of the district of Hildburghausen, Tilo Kummer, suspects to the Reuters news agency that the population “apparently entered the autumn relatively lightly.” At the same time, he accused several neighbors of not having recognized the seriousness of the situation. On Wednesday night there was an unrecorded demonstration of several hundred people, some of them without masks. Therefore, even stricter measures should be taken, said the left-wing politician.
In an interview with “Spiegel”, Kummer emphasized that the region was very little affected by the spring pandemic. “A lot of people didn’t know anyone who had a Corona. When there were severe restrictions at the time, many wondered, ‘What for?'” This mentality lasted well into October, when numbers finally rose in the region, Kummer said. . People would have been infected then, especially at private parties. “Now we are also severely affected in nursing homes with often serious consequences for their residents with health problems. We have cases with the fire service, the police and the penal system. In our city day care centers, more than Half of all children were protected last week Quarantine. “
Are schools sources of infection?
To find out if the district’s schools are a source of infection, Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow announced a massive test for students. The left-wing politician also called on people in the region to adhere to the new infection control rules. There is a great effort to “protect the life and physical integrity of people” with stricter measures, said Ramelow.
The appeal followed the protest parade in Hildburghausen on Wednesday night: regardless of the current exit restrictions, 400 people were chanting through the city, according to police, and with chants such as “Peace, Freedom, Democracy.” According to the police, many of the protesters did not wear mouth and nose protection and did not keep the minimum distance. The police finally managed to disperse the protesters.
District administrator Thomas Müller had criticized the protests as irresponsible. The participants not only put themselves in danger, but also others. State and local politicians were dismayed by the march. According to the police, it is not yet clear who called the protest.
Most recently, the RKI reported 70 new corona cases for the Hildburghausen district in 24 hours. In all of Thuringia, with its 2.1 million inhabitants, there were 628. This brings the total number of infections detected in the state since the start of the corona pandemic to 15,248. The number of those who died from or with the coronavirus rose to 327. According to the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, more than 70 patients were recently treated in intensive care units, 32 of whom had to be artificially ventilated.
