[ad_1]
The prime ministers of the federal states agreed on uniform rules of contact for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. In the period from December 23 to January 1, a household can meet with family members or people outside the household. up to a maximum of ten people according to a draft resolution of the federal states for deliberations with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) this Wednesday. Children up to 14 years old are exempt from this.
According to the document it should The current partial lockdown will run until December 20. If the incidence is “well” below 50 new infections per 100,000 population in seven days and if other conditions are met, countries should be given the opportunity to deviate from this.
The dpa further reports that the prime minister is asking people to do their best before the Christmas holidays. self-quarantine at home for several days go. “This can be supported by the Christmas school holidays that can be brought forward as of December 19, 2020,” says the dpa draft resolution. With self-quarantine, the risk of corona infections in the area around the celebrations should be kept as low as possible. Bavaria, for example, recently announced that it will extend the Christmas holidays.
In addition, the federal states want to request support from employers. They must check whether the permanent establishments are through company vacations or generous home office solutions May be closed from December 23 to January 1.
Prime ministers want to be on New Years Eve Ban fireworks on crowded streets and public placesto avoid larger groups. “The responsible local authorities determine the places and streets affected,” says the dpa, according to the draft decision. Basically, it is “recommended” to abstain from the New Year’s Eve fireworks at the turn of the year; therefore, the sale is not prohibited.
In regions with significantly more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days, the federal states in the future Beginning in the seventh grade, a mask requirement also applies in class., reports the dpa. Therefore, at “special infection hotspots” there should be school-specific “additional measures for lesson design” in addition to the final classes, eg hybrid lessons.
Berlin Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) is confident that the states will reach an agreement with Chancellor Merkel. The joint proposals are a good basis for discussions with the Chancellor. “I also think that on this basis, there may still be two or three changes, but we really have a very closed situation that we want to implement together,” Müller said Tuesday morning at the ARD “Morgenmagazin”.
Study: Forced ventilation in classrooms is more effective than air filters
As expected, health authorities reported comparatively few new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Tuesday morning. According to the RKI on its website, there were 13,554 new cases in 24 hours. Last Tuesday, the figure was 14,419. By Friday, 23,648 reported cases had peaked. At the beginning of the week, the numbers are regularly comparatively low because, according to the RKI, fewer samples are taken on the weekends and therefore fewer tests are done overall.
In October and early November, the number of new corona infections reported in Germany increased rapidly. The value has now stabilized at a high level for about two weeks. The decline that was expected after the entry into force of the partial lockdown has not yet been clearly discerned.
The RKI has counted a total of 942,687 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of deaths related to the virus rose by 249 to a total of 14,361 on Tuesday, and the RKI estimates that around 636,700 people have recovered.
Studying in the classroom: air filters at a disadvantage
According to a study by Hessian scientists, shock ventilation in schools is many times more effective than the use of air filter devices. Two professors from the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) had determined the effect on the aerosols previously released in an unused classroom of a Wiesbaden school, which were distributed in the room by a fan.
“The main result showed that opening all windows for three minutes at outside temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees Celsius reduced the concentration of introduced aerosols by up to 99.8 percent,” the THM said in Gießen’s statement on the analysis. With four mobile air filter devices in the room, a 90 percent reduction in concentration was measured after approximately 30 minutes. Scientists also refer to noise when operating the devices and the high costs of purchasing them.
The Federal Environment Agency has warned several times against over-reliance on mobile air purifiers. Their use in classrooms is not a substitute for ventilation because they do not provide the necessary supply of outside air, he said. There are cases where air purifiers could “noticeably supplement” ventilation, that is, when windows cannot be opened far enough. However, air purifiers cannot remove all impurities from the air in the room.
Lauterbach: Fireworks would be the “perfect crown cocktail”
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach is confident about banning firecrackers for the new year. “I am very sure that on Wednesday the ban on firecrackers will be decided,” says the politician. Rheinische Mail according to the preliminary report.
The appeals were not enough. “Wherever fireworks are allowed, people gather, drink and embrace. It’s the perfect Corona cocktail,” Lauterbach said. “And two weeks later, the state would have to complain about the next wave of infections as proof of the government’s failure. No one can want that.”
According to a recent poll by the Yougov opinion research institute, almost two-thirds of German citizens (64 percent) are in favor of banning New Year’s Eve fireworks in 2020/21 due to the Corona crisis. 25 percent currently reject a ban, 10 percent did not provide any information. Participants were asked whether they would approve or reject a ban on fireworks “this year due to the crown-related overload of the health system and hospitals.”
In recent days, the discussion about the ban on firecrackers has heated up. The seven federal states led by the Union are different from the seven states led by the SPD against the ban on sales of New Year’s Eve bollards. The sale and carrying of fireworks should not be prohibited, according to a document that the German press agency received on Monday. Instead, there should be an appeal and a ban on fireworks in crowded places. However, in a Berlin document, according to the current status of the MPK presidency, it is said that the sale, purchase and lighting of fireworks should be banned by the end of the year, in particular to relieve the workforce and auxiliary workers and avoid larger groups.
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) commented that Christmas should be “freer”, “but New Year’s Eve more consistent”. By December 31, he wants to ban firecrackers or alcohol in the big squares. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) does not believe in the ban: “Fireworks should be possible by New Year’s Eve despite Corona,” he said. image. Antje Kapek, leader of the Green Party in the Berlin House of Representatives, had already called for a ban on firecrackers the weekend before. “Sales bans are the only sensible way to prevent large crowds and injuries.”
Germany’s largest New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin has already been canceled, but the ZDF show there with Andrea Kiewel and Johannes B. Kerner and stars like Peter Maffay should be.
Spahn hopes to receive corona vaccines soon
During a visit to the IDT Biologika vaccine manufacturer in Dessau, Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) was confident that coronavirus vaccines could soon be possible in Germany. There is a justified reason why vaccination may start “no later than early next year, maybe even later this year,” Spahn said at a joint press conference with Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff. (CDU) and the managing director of IDT, Jürgen Betzing.
“There is a way out. We are on the right track,” Spahn said, referring to the development of the corona pandemic. The first vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer is expected to be approved in December. But it could also be delayed. In any case, the vaccination centers must be prepared from mid-December, they want to be prepared for “the worst case scenario.” “I would rather have a vaccination center that is ready to go and still out of service for a few days than an approved vaccine that is not used immediately,” the minister had previously told the German publishing network.
Together with Biontech and Curevac, IDT is the third German company to work on the manufacture of a corona vaccine. According to managing director Bätzing, the first studies with a vaccine are ongoing. The manufacturer hopes to be able to carry out an expedited approval process by the end of 2021.
Lauterbach: coaches must ease school traffic
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach is calling for extensive measures in schools to reduce the number of corona infections before the federal and state governments consult this week. In addition to a division into face-to-face and digital lessons, the risk of infection on the way to school must also be reduced, Lauterbach told the newspaper. Rheinische Mail. “It is paradoxical that overcrowded school buses and trams are fueling the number of infections and at the same time, many coach companies fear for their existence. They should step in immediately and ease local public transport to schools and return with the coaches.” Lauterbach said.
Judges Association: Around 20,000 Corona-related criminal proceedings
The crown pandemic caused considerable additional work in the prosecution offices. Nationwide, since the beginning of the crisis, prosecutors have reached about 20,000 cases of fraudulent emergency aid from Corona or other crimes related to the pandemic, such as fake internet shops, fake Corona drugs or inferior masks, Sven said. Rebehn, Federal Director General of the German Association of Judges. world. According to the Judges Association, it will be a long time before the criminal justice system has processed all of Corona’s proceedings.
Most grant cases are still related to the Spring Crown aid program, which ended on May 31. It remains to be seen whether November’s so-called help to cushion the current partial lockdown will lead to a criminal follow-up, Rebehn said.
With around 7,500 procedures on suspicion of subsidy fraud and other scams, North Rhine-Westphalia investigators recorded the highest number of cases. That comes from a survey published by the Association of Judges. German Judges Newspaper in the ministries of justice and prosecutors of the federal states. This is followed by Berlin and Bavaria with more than 4,500 and more than 2,200 crown-related cases reaching prosecutors.
According to the judges’ association, administrative courts have reached more than 6,000 cases since March in the course of the crown pandemic. Since the beginning of the November closure, the higher administrative and administrative courts have received around 600 urgent requests, according to Rebehn.
