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In Thuringia, everything points to an extension of the blockade until the end of January. Prime Minister Ramelow is even preparing to toughen it up. Several country leaders had previously spoken out in favor of a longer blockade.
Even before the prime ministers’ conference with Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel scheduled for Tuesday, Thuringia’s head of state Bodo Ramelow ruled out easing for his state until the end of the month and even formulated a tightening.
He was probably reacting to the weekend’s onslaught in winter sports areas in the Thuringian Forest, where, contrary to contact restrictions, people from different parts of the country and from Franconia gathered.
Thuringia, along with Saxony, currently has the highest number of infections in the entire country, Ramelow said after a cabinet meeting in Erfurt. He had proposed to the cabinet, following the example of Saxony, to limit the radius of movement of people to 15 kilometers around their place of residence, said the Left Party politician.
“Clench your teeth”
Due to different infection rates, Thuringia’s decisions do not have to be identical to those in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Schleswig-Holstein, Ramelow said. It’s about “clenching your teeth now in January” to keep the healthcare system running. The Thuringian cabinet will make formal decisions after talks between the federal and state governments.
Söder for blockade until the end of January
Even before Ramelow’s remarks, many prime ministers had advocated an extension of the crown’s restrictions beyond January 10. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and his Saxon counterpart Michael Kretschmer, whose countries are also severely affected by the second wave of infections, demanded an extension of the lockdown for another three weeks until the end of January. Other country leaders only want to extend it for two weeks initially.
“A premature loosening would set us back a lot,” said Söder of “Bild am Sonntag”. It wasn’t until mid-January that we really learned how Christmas and New Year’s Eve would have affected the number of infections. “We have to be consistent and not give up too soon.”
In the “Welt am Sonntag” Lower Saxony Prime Minister Stephan Weil said there was no reason to give the go-ahead. Therefore, it assumes that the above restrictions will continue, no matter how burdensome they may be in many areas.
What is the next step for kindergartens and schools?
However, the way daycare centers and schools are treated remains a subject of contention among the federal states. They wanted to keep countries with a high number of cases closed, while those with a smaller number advocated earlier openings for alternate or distance lessons in higher classes. Individual countries also suggested bringing forward the winter holidays, which begin between February 1 and February 15, depending on the country.
The Thuringian Prime Minister made it clear that his country’s schools should not return to face-to-face teaching this month. In Thuringia, however, pupils from the years in which the degrees are pending, as well as their teachers with a negative Corona test, are expected to return to schools in January. Therefore, it was agreed in the cabinet that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health prepare a corresponding regulation before Tuesday after the Prime Minister’s Conference.
Education ministers advise on Monday
The ministers of education of the federal states will meet on Monday. In this group, early opening of nurseries and primary schools is considered a priority. Politicians must weigh the risk of infection against other factors such as children’s right to education and the potential economic consequences of closures.
The first mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, demanded “that the federal government explain on what scientific or data basis it is demanding a new general closure of kindergartens and schools and how it envisages that essential functions of basic care and capacities will be maintained. of medical treatment “.
