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Lufthansa sees summer booking boom thanks to corona vaccines
7.35 am: Lufthansa, shaken by the pandemic, sees a rebound in its business thanks to the upcoming approvals of corona vaccines. “Since there is a concrete prospect of an effective vaccine, our stocks for next summer have tripled,” said “Wirtschaftswoche” CEO Carsten Spohr. “The fact that people have already booked air travel for Easter shows how confident they are.” After the crisis of 2020, Spohr is more optimistic for 2021. “I suppose that in the next year we will be able to reach an average of half the level of 2019 again, for the summer and fall we calculate with up to 70 percent.”
The outflow of liquid funds should stop next year and the airline wants to become profitable again from 2022. Therefore, Spohr continues to expect the federal government to reduce its stake in the airline from 2023. “I see no reason. so things are going to be different, “said the CEO. He made it clear that Lufthansa had so far requested only three billion from public stabilization funds for a total of nine billion euros. “And thanks to our strict cost management, so far we have only spent a small part.”
Schwesig for a harder lock
7.30 am: Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig supports a stricter lockdown in Germany from December 21. “It is important that we decide this week how to proceed,” the SPD politician said on Deutschlandfunk about the federal and state vote on further measures from the crown.
Schwesig also insisted on a binding trial strategy for all nursing homes in Germany. Given the high number of deaths, especially in the elderly and nursing homes, it is important that staff are examined every other day. His Rhineland-Palatinate colleague, Malu Dreyer (SPD), had made a similar request.
RKI reports nearly 30,000 new corona infections and 598 deaths
6.00 am: Crown numbers are again increasing significantly in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported both the new highs in the number of new infections and the number of corona deaths on Friday: 29,875 people were registered as newly infected in 24 hours, that’s a good 6,000 more than the Friday before The nail. Week. Only one record had been set the day before. Overall, the number of infections in Germany is 1,272,078.
The number of people who died from or from the coronavirus also reached a new high of 598. So far there have been a total of 20,970 deaths recorded in connection with the virus in Germany. The seven-day incidence also soared. The RKI now gives you 156.3. The value indicates how many people have recently been infected per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. The federal and state governments’ target is actually a value of 50 so that health authorities can trace the infection chains again.
The new figures fuel the ongoing debate between the federal and state governments over an earlier and tougher shutdown. So far, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 prime ministers had not been able to agree on a date for a common change. The reason is that Merkel insists on tougher measures such as closing schools or retail establishments before Christmas. This meets some resistance. Some state governments had also said for their part that before the talks it had to be made clear that they could agree on a common line. Consultations are scheduled for Sunday. A tougher lockdown with business closings for Jan. 10 is now largely undisputed given the rising number of infections.
Kekulé and Lauterbach ask for a ban on singing in churches at Christmas
5.29 am: Virologist Alexander Kekulé and SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach are calling for a ban on singing in all churches during the Christmas holidays. The director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University Clinic of Halle told Focus magazine: “If all the masks in a church are on and there is no more than one person for every five square meters in the room, church services at Christmas They are acceptable. But only when there is no song! Otherwise we have too many aerosols. “Kekulé added:” The common creed or the ‘Our Father’ must also remain silent; At most, the ‘Amen’ at the end is fine. “
The SPD member of the Bundestag Lauterbach also emphasized: »There must be clear rules for visits to churches. Distances and hygiene regulations must be strictly observed. Singing is not allowed in church. Also, everyone has to wear a mask. “Lauterbach also suggested that churches keep the FFP2 masks ready for all the faithful. This can be financed through a collection.
More than 10,000 doctors want to help vaccinate against corona
5.28 am: According to one report, more than 10,000 doctors want to help vaccinate at corona vaccination centers in Germany. This was the result of a poll conducted by the Funke media group (Friday) among statutory health insurance associations in the federal states. The deputy director of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Stephan Hofmeister, said: “The resident colleagues are very willing to participate in the next corona vaccines.” As soon as sufficient vaccination doses are available, vaccinations should be from the centers. be relocated to doctor’s offices.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) hopes that the first vaccine can be administered no later than January. The vaccines will be distributed through nearly 30 distribution points in the federal states. From there it goes to the regional vaccination centers, for which halls, stadiums and hotels are being prepared. Later, the practices will take care of the vaccination in the area.
