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A week before the next federal-state round on how to proceed in the corona pandemic, votes are increasing for an extension of the current shutdown.
When asked if he saw any reason to give schoolchildren, parents or business people hope that the shutdown will end on January 10, North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) told the news agency dpa: “We have to be honest and realistic. No one can seriously awaken this hope ”. Berlin’s ruling mayor, Michael Müller (SPD), current chairman of the first state conference, made a similar statement.
New corona infections reported on Tuesday decreased compared to the previous week. Laschet described the current ARD figures »Mittagsmagazin« as unrepresentative. He referred to less evidence and reports on Christmas days.
The stricter closure with strict contact restrictions, the closure of most stores, schools and kindergartens, and the long-term closure of restaurants, theaters, museums and other leisure facilities will initially apply until January 10.
Hamburg closes schools until at least January 17
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the prime ministers of the federal states want to advise on how things will continue in schools in the future. Karl Lauterbach, an SPD health expert, spoke out against the total reopening of schools on January 11.
Baden-Württemberg Education Minister Susanne Eisenmann (CDU) said, on the other hand, that children should be “in any case” at least in kindergartens and primary schools.
Hamburg, on the other hand, is already making progress: Following a Senate resolution on Tuesday, the requirement to attend schools in Hamburg will be lifted until at least January 17. Until now the rule was valid until January 10.
Additionally, the Senate assumes that there will be no regular classroom instruction at all grade levels in the last two weeks of January. The final decision on this will be made by the Senate after consulting with the other federal states and taking into account the infection situation in January.
In general, the main criterion for decision-making in consultations will be how many new infections and deaths occur and how many intensive care beds are occupied in hospitals. The goal is to reduce the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants to less than 50 in seven days. Even in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, the federal states with the weakest infection rate, the value is currently almost double, despite the downward trend.
