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Schleswig-Holstein does not want to support the stricter contact restrictions planned by the other countries due to the low number of corona infections compared to other countries. Private meetings are still possible in the north with up to ten people. In one of the federal states draft resolutions for consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Wednesday, there is a corresponding footnote in the draft resolution. According to the Robert Koch Institute, Schleswig-Holstein had a seven-day incidence of new infections per 100,000 residents on Tuesday with a good 47, the lowest value of all federal states.
In the fight against the persistently high number of corona infections, the prime ministers of the other countries advocate strict contact restrictions as of December 1 the – there should be a special regulation for Christmas and New Years Eve. “Private meetings with friends, relatives and acquaintances are for you and another household, but in each case maximum of five people restrict, “it says in the draft. Children up to 14 are exempt from this.
In the period between December 23 and January 1, that is, also during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a household can meet with family members or people outside the household. up to a maximum of ten people be. Also in this case, children up to 14 years of age are excluded. For the holidays, the federal and state governments want to talk to churches about Christmas services. “It is important to avoid religious gatherings with the character of large-scale events.”
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. “This applies as long as other relevant indicators, such as the utilization of intensive care capacities and the capacity of the public health service to act, do not conflict with this,” he says. On the contrary, a greater adjustment should also be possible at the critical crown points. Wholesale and retail trade will remain open. The mask requirement will be expanded and will also apply in front of retail stores and in parking lots in the future.
Prime ministers ask people to make one before Christmas break if possible self-quarantine at home for several days go. “This can be supported by the Christmas school holidays that can be brought forward from December 19, 2020,” the draft resolution reads. With self-quarantine, the risk of corona infections in the area around the celebrations should be kept as low as possible. Bavaria recently announced that it will extend the Christmas holidays.
Furthermore, the federal states want to request support from employers. They must verify whether the permanent establishments are through company vacations or generous home office solutions May be closed from December 23 to January 1.
The Prime Ministers also propose that the federal and state governments agree that the time interval for home quarantine is in principle uniform. generally established ten days. “With rapid antigen tests that are now available in greater numbers, it is possible to shorten the quarantine period with test support.” A shorter quarantine time relieves affected citizens and health authorities and mitigates the economic consequences of quarantine orders for the individual and for the economy.
To improve protection of risk groups, such as those in need of care, as part of the corona test strategy 20 rapid tests per week for each patient are provided, it says in the draft decision. Since the beginning of December, the federal government wants to make it possible for risk groups to deliver a total of 15 FFP-2 masks for a small contribution, arithmetically one per winter week.
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 draft decision. Basically, it is “recommended” to avoid 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.. At “special infection hotspots”, in addition to final classes, there should be school-specific “additional measures for lesson design”, for example hybrid lessons. Additionally, antigen testing will be used more in schools to discover chains of infection. The newspaper goes on to say: Colleges and universities should basically switch to digital teaching – With the exception of laboratory activities, practicals, phases of practical and artistic training and exams.
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”.
New corona infections slightly below the level of the previous week
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. As of Friday, 23,648 reported cases had peaked. At the beginning of the week, the numbers are usually comparatively low because according to the RKI, fewer samples are taken on the weekends and therefore less testing is 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 noticeable.
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 scientists from Hesse, shock ventilation in schools is many times more effective than the use of air filter devices. Two teachers 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 the 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 report 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 the windows cannot be opened far enough. However, air purifiers cannot remove all impurities from the air in the room.
Spahn expects corona vaccines soon
During a visit to the IDT Biologika vaccine manufacturer in Dessau, Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) was confident that vaccination against the coronavirus could soon be possible in Germany. There is a justified reason why vaccination can 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 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 accelerated approval process by the end of 2021.
