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Merkel wants the blockade to last until the beginning of March
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Merkel wants to work out a long-term strategy with the prime minister
It is not just the Federal Conference of Schoolchildren that is warning of prolonged school closings in the fight against the corona virus. What is needed is a perspective that schools can get back to normal step by step.
Chancellor Angela Merkel advocates for an extension of the tough crown lockdown two weeks before the federal-state meeting. You want to wait until March 1 with the first steps.
KAngela Merkel (CDU) has spoken out against any initial step in the current crown lockdown until March 1. According to information from the dpa news agency, Merkel said the timing when the British variant of the virus had not yet gained the upper hand was crucial in order to be able to jot down the infection figures with all her might at an online meeting of the Union faction. in the Bundestag. .
In a draft of a working document sent by the Chancellery to the federal states on Tuesday in preparation for the Prime Ministers Conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Wednesday, which WELT has received, it says: “Therefore, the Contact restrictions should be maintained in principle in the coming weeks. ” Initially, “Bild” reported with reference to the presentation that Merkel was asking for an extension of the blockade.
So your opinion is that you should wait until March 1 with any opening steps, Merkel said, according to information from dpa. This is difficult for parents and other affected people. But then you can take initial steps “with a cleaner conscience.” There are still differences in this regard, admitted the chancellor before her consultations with the prime ministers of the federal states on Wednesday. Merkel said she expected the British variant of the virus to be dominant in Germany in just a few weeks.
According to information from the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”, Merkel wants to enforce that the possible easing should not only depend on falling below the incidence value 50, but also on a decrease in the R value below 0.7. This is intended to counteract the risk posed by new mutations in the highly contagious virus in particular. The R-value shows how many people an infected person infects on average.
“Tomorrow we will make the decision to expand”
Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU) outlined on Tuesday what a longer-term outlook might look like: If incidence falls below certain levels, around 50, 35 and 10, more easing measures could take effect. . In addition to the incidence value, the risk of new virus mutations must also be taken into account in the initial steps.
“Tomorrow we will make the decision to extend,” said the leader of the Union faction with a view to closing. At the same time, however, the federal and state governments would also show an “openness perspective.” The goal should be to get back to a single digit incidence range. The incidence value of seven days indicates how many new infections per 100,000 inhabitants are registered in a week.
According to the preliminary draft resolution, in which some points have not yet been formulated, Merkel also opposes the partial openings of schools and kindergartens before March 1, which are currently being discussed. This particular position is likely to be fiercely contested on Wednesday, as some federal states with Christian Democratic prime ministers had recently asked for the first vacancies starting next Monday (February 15).
Most kindergartens and schools in Germany have been closed since mid-December or are only operating to a very limited extent. Federal Minister of the Family Franziska Giffey (SPD) complained to the NDR that the current shutdown was “in the direction of child welfare.”
In a joint decision published Tuesday, federal state education ministers spoke in favor of gradually reopening schools starting next week if the crown numbers continue to fall. “The negative consequences of school closings on educational biographies and social participation of children and young people must be limited.”
Opinions differ in schools
Saxony announced Tuesday that nurseries and elementary schools will reopen in restricted operations starting next week. For elementary school students, the school attendance requirement will be waived for now.
North Rhine-Westphalia Deputy Prime Minister Joachim Stamp (FDP), on the other hand, ruled out opening primary schools early next week. “Monday is certainly too early, organizationally that will not be possible so quickly,” said Family Minister RTL / ntv. “That will certainly take a while.”
Those responsible are concerned that approval of the corona measures is falling, according to polls. Three weeks ago, the top round commissioned a task force from the federal and state governments to “develop a concept for a safe and fair opening strategy” by Wednesday. The concept is intended to offer a longer-term perspective.
Several countries are calling for a step-by-step plan: if incidence falls below a certain level, a predetermined easing should take effect. However, it is considered unlikely that agreement on a phased plan will be reached at the national level.
