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When the federal and state governments discuss how to proceed in the pandemic this Monday starting at 2 p.m., it could result in tighter restrictions until Easter. A passage of the draft resolution of the Chancellery of Sunday speaks of a restriction of night exit until 5 in the morning in the counties with an incidence of seven days of more than 100 “unless there are serious reasons”. The start time is left open. The entire passage is in square brackets. That means it has to be negotiated because it is particularly contentious.
Karl Lauterbach, a health expert for the SPD, does not consider such a night curfew to be absolutely necessary. However, if the number of cases continues to rise rapidly, it is unlikely to be prevented, the trained epidemiologist warned Sunday night on “Bild live.” The reason for this is that the spread of the B.1.1.7 corona mutation is “four to eight times more contagious” than the previous virus when observed for one month. “Until now, no country has managed to control the pandemic much faster with this mutation without there having been exit restrictions in the confinement,” Lauterbach said.
“Too strict a restriction of freedom”
However, it should be clear: “Exit restrictions are the last resort, try to avoid them.” The only possibility to do this is offered by a “very strict test concept” with two tests per week in all schools and companies. . The capacities to do so are “feverishly piling up.”
FDP leader Christian Lindner rejects curfews in principle. He said on “Bild live”: “I always consider exit restrictions to be disproportionate, too severe a restriction of freedom.” Furthermore, they are not necessarily useful even for reasons of protection against infection: “When members of a household move outside in the open air, I see no reason to prohibit them from doing so.”
The parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group, Carsten Schneider, criticizes the Chancellery’s proposal for curfews: “Before the new restrictions on private homes proposed by the Chancellor are discussed, all other options must be exhausted. ”, He told dpa. . This includes the fact that the test options announced by the Federal Ministry of Health six weeks ago are actually available. “For all professions that cannot work from home, employers must provide at least two tests per week. If companies do not implement this, it must be prescribed by regulation. “
Warning of insufficient intensive care beds
According to Lauterbach, extending the blockade until April 18, as stipulated in the draft, is “necessary without buts”. Otherwise, the death rate would double. Regarding intensive care units and the third wave, he said: “We are more or less full before it starts.” This should also be reflected in the number of deaths: “Every second person dies that has to be ventilated, including the youngest.”
The German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine also warned against a renewed shortage of intensive care beds. According to their data, with over 3,000 beds occupied, the load is currently as high as it was at the peak hours of the first wave in spring 2020.
