Coronavirus: The partial lockdown will last until January 10

Position: 02.12.2020 | Reading time: 3 minutes

AIn view of the persistently high crown numbers, the partial lockdown, which has been in effect since November, is expected. with restaurants, museums, theaters and recreational facilities closed that will run until January 10. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the presiding ministers of the federal states decided that during their deliberations, as announced by the CDU politician on Wednesday night.

“In principle, the situation remains as it is now, with the exception, of course, of the Christmas regulations, which were made extra,” Merkel said. The Chancellor said that on January 4 there should be another consultation on how to proceed.

Merkel said Germany is still “very far” from target values ​​in the corona pandemic. There were a very high number of fatalities. This shows the responsibility of the federal and state governments. “We still have the objective of achieving an incidence of less than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days,” said Merkel.

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said the Corona situation “was by no means relaxed, on the contrary.” It was correct to extend the partial blockade until January 10. Söder also indicated a possible additional tightening of anti-crown measures. At some point, the possibility of further measures in some areas will have to be considered. It is necessary to consider: better shorter, more consequently than longer, semi-consequently.

Söder: “The safety of the vaccine must be guaranteed to the maximum”

“The question is can we keep the country in this kind of half-sleep all the time, or if we don’t have to think again sometime about digging in and being more rigorous in some places,” he said. Furthermore, Söder stressed that it was important not to rush to approve developed vaccines. “The safety of the vaccine must be guaranteed to the maximum.”

The mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller (SPD), spoke in favor of the rapid determination by the federal government of the framework conditions for the next mass vaccinations. Many countries like Berlin are already well prepared with their vaccination centers. “But it is important that we stick together in this,” Müller said. It is necessary to regulate the invitation system for those affected, which must be uniform throughout the country. Here, the federal states needed security in quick planning. “It doesn’t work on its own,” Müller added, referring to the lack of clarity about which population groups should be vaccinated and in what order.

The first vaccine approvals in the EU could come in late December, Merkel said. That is why it is important that preparations are well advanced. In the federal states, great efforts are being made to establish planned regional vaccination centers. Furthermore, an “adjustment” of the stipulations on the sequence of vaccinations is pending by the Permanent Commission on Vaccination. On this basis, the Federal Ministry of Health will issue a regulation.

Health authorities reported 487 coronavirus-related deaths to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within 24 hours, as the RKI announced on Wednesday. This is the highest daily value since the beginning of the pandemic. Furthermore, a relatively large number of people in Germany are still infected with the virus. There has been a slight decrease in new infections in recent days, but the expected effect of the partial closure has yet to materialize.

The partial closure, in effect since November, with restaurant closures, for example, had been extended last week until just before Christmas. The decision document said the federal and state governments assumed that extensive restrictions would be necessary until early January due to the high level of infection, especially in the restaurant and hotel area.