Angela Merkel on the Crown crisis: “The social question is sharpening”



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In view of the dramatic developments in the crown crisis, a chancellor was recently observed who was quite contrite by her standards. In the most recent round with the heads of government of the federal states, for example, Angela Merkel made it clear to the meeting prime minister what she thought of the previous discussion: “I am not satisfied.”

The Chancellor admonishes and warns, that is the role she is playing in these exceptional months. That Monday night he tried to get emotional. At the delivery of the social award from the Federal Association for Free Social Assistance, the CDU’s policy was expressed by video message: “The pandemic with its various consequences hits us all, but some are particularly harsh,” said Merkel, ” especially those who are not exactly on the Stand on the sunny side of life, who need care and support in everyday life, but who is now even more difficult than usual because of the Crown. And so the social question becomes sharpens “.

The pandemic is proving to be a test for society and its cohesion, Merkel said. It paid tribute to the work of the welfare associations that run many homes and hospitals for the elderly, as well as kindergartens, care services and facilities for the disabled. Everyone faces special challenges because of the Crown. They had to deal with an ever-changing situation that tended to get worse with the cold season that was coming.

New high on the weekend

In fact, the situation threatens to spiral out of control. In many municipalities, according to government information, it is no longer possible to trace the contact persons of each individual corona infected person because the numbers are simply too high. As announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Monday morning, health authorities reported 8,685 new infections in one day, roughly double the 4,325 on Monday a week ago. The numbers are lower on Sundays and Mondays, also because fewer tests were conducted on weekends. becomes. 14,714 new infections were reached on Saturday, a maximum since the start of the pandemic in Germany.

Solo: what follows from this? And what follows from Merkel’s appeals?

The next few days could decide if politicians succeed in curbing the rise in infections again. Merkel now wants to urgently consult with countries on stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus. There should be a video conference with prime ministers this Wednesday, before their regular conference on Friday. It’s about what the federal and state governments can do together to break the trend as quickly as possible, said government spokesman Steffen Seibert. Everyone is aware that “every day counts.”

What that really means is still unclear. Is there another threat of closure in Germany, similar to the one in the spring, when the country practically came to a halt?

According to information from “Bild”, the Foreign Ministry wants to announce to the federal states possible additional restrictions on public life. Unlike the spring closure, schools and daycare centers should remain open, except in regions with catastrophically high infection rates. The retail sector should also remain open with new restrictions. According to the “Bild” report, the Chancellery wants to be tough, especially when it comes to catering and events.

Over the weekend, Merkel once again urged all citizens to reduce contacts in general. On Monday, he apparently warned CDU committees that the rise in infections must be stopped urgently. The head of the Foreign Ministry, Helge Braun (CDU), was also very skeptical of the CDU’s deliberations, according to information from the dpa news agency. The numbers rose too fast, he made clear.

Merkel and the prime ministers last discussed together on October 14 and agreed on some additional measures, especially for the regional strongholds of Corona. The Chancellor had already made it clear at that time that after about ten days it would be possible to see “if more steps are necessary or if the steps that have been decided have already been enough.” The Federal Government did not initially comment on any conceivable additional measures.

The negotiations at that time had been extremely tough. The question is whether this time there can be a far-reaching agreement, even on uniform rules at the national level.

Hamburg’s first mayor, Peter Tschentscher (SPD), told the ARD that so far regional measures of how it copes with the infection process have been determined. “But now we are in a situation where the numbers are increasing throughout Germany. And that is why it is good that we are also looking at the rules at the national level and thinking if there are more measures. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said in Munich: “I think it is quite serious now and that everyone has to be clear about what it is about.” In view of the Prime Minister’s Conference, Söder spoke of a “decision week”.

Saar’s head of government Tobias Hans (CDU) said on Deutschlandfunk that he did not believe “that we need or will have another lockdown situation like we did in the spring.” But this will only be successful “if we, as federal states, work together with the federal government to establish clear standards that are transparent to all.” It makes no sense to paralyze a Saxon district due to the high number of new infections in a Saar district. But everyone should be able to look up: “Is this district red, yellow, or green?” – and make sure the same measures are applied.

For federal parties, the signal is probably already red, at least as far as your planned party congresses are concerned. In view of the worsening situation, the CDU has postponed its party convention scheduled for December 4 in Stuttgart to elect a new president until next year. Ideally, the party congress should take place in attendance, Secretary General Paul Ziemiak said. If this is not possible, a digital conference should be held with the group. The left wanted to decide on Tuesday whether the party’s convention scheduled for Friday in Erfurt should be canceled.

Icon: The mirror

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