Corona pandemic in Germany: extension of the partial blockade?



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Next Wednesday, the federal-state group wants to decide how to proceed in the corona pandemic. There are no signs of relief. An extension of the partial lockdown appears to be under discussion.

The partial lockdown went into effect in Germany in early November, initially for four weeks. But there are growing doubts that the stricter crown measures will expire at the end of the month. An extension of the partial lockdown is becoming evident in the upcoming federal-state consultations. According to media reports, citing country circles, the measures could be extended until shortly before Christmas. This is what “Berliner Morgenpost”, “Tagesspiegel” and “Business Insider” report. Restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities are likely to remain closed. Stores, on the other hand, should obviously be able to open during the Christmas business that is important to them.

If the infection process is not under control after Christmas, the winter holidays will be extended to the whole country until January 10, according to the will of the states led by the SPD and some countries of the CDU, reports “Business Insider “. Other suggestions included expanding the coverage of the mouth and nose and new measurements in school lessons. The upper limits for celebrations and gatherings in public and private spaces should also be lowered further.

The federal government would have liked more sooner

Next Wednesday, the country’s leaders together with Chancellor Angela Merkel want to decide how to proceed. Country representatives wanted to draw up joint proposals for possible measures from December 1 to Monday.

It is not clear if the decisions for the Christmas season and the turn of the year will actually be made in the next consultations. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said, however, that it was “no secret” that the federal government had “wished for more” in the most recent talks earlier this week. Preparations for the next federal-state round were “intense.” It will also be about “how we see Christmas and then New Year’s Eve as well.”

Because for reliable rules

In the run-up to the deliberations, Lower Saxony Prime Minister Stephan Weil said: “Relief is only realistic if the figures change permanently.” At the moment, however, the incidence values ​​are too high, according to the SPD politician in the “Handelsblatt”. “In almost all federal states, the value of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants is clearly exceeded in seven days.”

Weil demanded clarity until the new year. “The objective of the next meeting between the prime ministers and the chancellor should therefore be to draw up reliable regulations that extend beyond Christmas and New Years,” said the head of government. He suggested that the same rules apply everywhere above the 50 value. “That doesn’t apply to all the details, but the line should be as clear and uniform as possible across the federal state borders,” he said. “If the infection rate in individual countries stabilized well below the threshold value over the course of December, one might think about easing the situation there.”

More distance learning for older students?

The head of the chancellery, Helge Braun, spoke in favor of paying special attention to schools at the federal-state summit. “What we decided for November broke the dynamics of the infection. But it has not yet caused the numbers to drop,” Braun told the German publishing network (RND). The main thing now is to reduce contacts and lower the high rates of infection among adolescents and young adults.

Even if the federal states are still unwilling to fundamentally cut school classes in half, there are reports that face-to-face classes for older students will be cut even further.


The Tagesschau reported on this issue on November 20, 2020 at 8:00 pm


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