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Despite partial blockage, the number of new corona infections is not decreasing. Now Chancellor Merkel wants an agreement on additional measures before Christmas. Previously, some country leaders had already called for stricter rules.
Chancellor Angela Merkel aims for an agreement on new measures to combat the corona pandemic before Christmas. At the meeting of the Union parliamentary group, Merkel spoke of a “very difficult situation”, according to the participants.
With the current measures, the country “will not go through the winter,” the AFP news agency quotes, citing the participants. You cannot go any further with the principle of hope.
Merkel complained that “there is too much talk about the mulled wine stands” and too little about the nurses. “However, she praised the additional measures for corona hotspots in some federal states.
Do stores have to close again?
Chancellery chief Helge Braun had previously called for a renewed meeting of Merkel and the 16 prime ministers before Christmas. “If we can unanimously decide the adjustment before Christmas, we will be there,” said the CDU politician of “Bild”. He called for new measures in schools, a discussion on retail and an equalization in local public transport.
After the planned relaxation of the Crown’s rules around Christmas, the Federal Chancellery plans to considerably toughen the measures as of December 27, according to a report in the daily “Bild”. Consequently, all stores in Germany should close at least on January 3, with a few exceptions such as food retail.
“Careless handling of crown requirements”
There were also calls from the federal states for another important meeting.
CSU chief Markus Söder had said that he saw careless handling of crown requirements as a reason for the consistently high number of infections. “There has been a meander in some places,” said the Bavarian prime minister before a videoconference of the CSU board in Munich. For this reason, the second wave of infections is also the most insidious.
“The current system is not enough,” Söder said in ARD morning magazine. “The numbers are stable, there are new infections every day, the number of deaths is increasing.” He made it clear that he was assuming another meeting of the federal and state governments before Christmas to discuss how to proceed in the pandemic.
More recently, the crown measures were extended until January 10. The next prime minister’s conference is scheduled for January 4. The Bavarian head of government considers that the citizens of Germany are obliged to comply with the guidelines more consistently. To bring infection numbers back down, a “mindset change” is needed, Söder said. Everyone must be aware of the seriousness of the situation.
NRW and Saarland claims
The state governments of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland had pressed for a uniform approach and a new swift federal-state summit. “If the overall situation does not improve rapidly, an even more restrictive approach across the country appears necessary to reduce the number of new infections more clearly everywhere,” said NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann.
“The fact that countries with an additionally challenging infection process at the national level take additional measures corresponds to the logic of the joint decision of the Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor,” he explained. North Rhine-Westphalia continues to depend on close collaboration between the federal and state governments.
Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans demanded that the exceptions applicable to New Year’s Eve be withdrawn. “We must not take risks now,” he told “Spiegel”. The time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve should not be the driving force behind the infection process. It must be acted on in a uniform manner.
After Christmas, “everywhere in Germany the old and stricter rules of the Crown should be returned,” Hans added. Therefore, if possible, a new high-level discussion between the federal and state governments should take place in the next week.
Jung for regional adjustment
City Council Chairman Burkhard Jung (SPD) had spoken out in favor of regional tightening. “If an incidence of more than 200 or now in Saxony has reached a total of more than 300, then it is imperative to make a stronger blockade for a few more weeks,” Jung said im ARD morning magazine. Otherwise, the infection situation cannot be controlled.
He questioned the relaxation announced during the holidays. “We will have to speak in Germany as a whole about whether the easing planned for Christmas and New Year’s Eve is really correct.”
40 percent more intensive care patients than in spring
The hospitals also called for the relaxation that had been announced to be withdrawn. The situation in many clinics is already stressful, said the director of the German Hospital Society (DKG), Gerald Gaß, the “Handelsblatt”.
“Today we have 40 percent more intensive care patients than in the spring and, unlike the spring, this is not a short-term situation, it has been that way for weeks without us being able to see an end.”
Seven-day incidence peaks
On Monday night, the Robert Koch Institute reported 12,332 new corona infections in 24 hours. A week ago, more than 1,000 fewer new infections were found. The numbers tend to be lower on Monday because there is less testing and less data is transmitted on the weekend. The so-called seven-day incidence rises to a maximum of 145.9.
The value indicates how many people are infected in seven days for every 100,000 inhabitants. In this way, the value moves away again from the threshold of 50 set by the federal and state governments. The value in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, which recently had declining numbers, has now risen above the value of 50.
