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In view of the continuing high number of infections, more and more politicians and doctors are calling for the lockdown to be extended. Health Minister Spahn also spoke in favor of a longer closure of schools and nurseries.
Despite all restrictions and protective measures, it has not yet been possible to drastically reduce the number of new infections in Germany. The seven-day incidence across the country is currently more than 140 on average. The goal is a value of 50, only then, in the opinion of politicians and scientists, does it make a lot of sense. All of this suggests that the lockdown that began in mid-December will extend beyond January 10. The measures decided so far apply to this date.
The ministers-presidents of the federal states want to discuss with Chancellor Angela Merkel how to proceed next Tuesday. And today there are more and more voices in favor of extending the blockade. For today, the Robert Koch Institute reported 12,690 new infections and 336 additional deaths related to the coronavirus. However, fewer people were tested due to the holidays, and not all offices are able to submit their details as regularly.
Spread or even tighten?
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn is one of the proponents of a longer lockdown. “In view of the still too high figures, it is necessary to extend the measures and restrictions,” he said in “RTL Aktuell”. The minister added that there is currently a maximum number of corona patients in intensive care units. Now the incidence of infections must be “absolutely” reduced and kept low for a long time: “That’s better than relaxing too soon and then possibly facing tough questions again in a few weeks.”
Lower Saxony Health Minister Carola Reimann goes even further. He told Deutschlandfunk that he feared a massive increase in the number of infections after the holidays. Therefore, the SPD politician did not rule out further tightening of the measures.
What’s next in schools and nurseries?
Spahn also spoke out in favor of continuing to close schools and daycare centers. That’s tough for students and parents, “but the same applies here: It’s easier for everyone to have schools for another week than to open them and then have to face debates again sometime in a few weeks.” It is easier to extend your vacation than at a later time.
Karl Lauterbach, an SPD health expert, on the other hand, can imagine that kindergartens and schools will open from mid-January. Lauterbach told the “Rheinische Post” that it could be epidemiologically justifiable to open kindergartens and schools in the second half of January. The prerequisite would be for all other grade levels to be split and alternately receive classroom and digital lessons or for classroom lessons to be completely suspended. However, it also rejects the opening of all schools, otherwise there is a risk that the desired incidence value of 50 will not even be reached.
The German Association of Teachers and the German Academy of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine called for prolonged school closings to be avoided and for schools to be better protected at the same time. Politicians must do everything possible “so that classes can take place again in responsible conditions in the new year, although the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will persist initially,” a joint statement said. Both umbrella organizations reject the proposal to extend the Christmas holidays until the end of January and shorten the summer holidays. Face-to-face teaching is the best for children and young people, both to fulfill the educational mandate and from the psychosocial point of view.
The Divi president advises an incidence value below 25 to alleviate
The issue is also clear to medical professionals: loosening is currently not an option. The president of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi), Uwe Janssens, even considers the goal too lax. “We intensive care physicians urgently advise against any relaxation of the prospect of an incidence of less than 25 new infections per 100,000 population per week,” he told the “Rheinische Post.” “We won’t see in hospitals until the end of next week how much Christmas has contributed to the spread of Covid-19. The effects of New Year’s Eve will be much later.” You don’t expect relaxation in intensive care units until summer.
The president of the Marburger Bund Doctors Union, Susanne Johna, would like “an extension of the contact restrictions in the most uniform way possible.” She told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “The health system is in dire need of relief, which can only be achieved by extending measures to restrict contact.”
Johna lowered expectations that starting vaccines would result in quick relaxation. “Despite all the optimism, it should be clear to us that, at least in the first three months of the new year, we can hardly expect any relief from the vaccine infection process.”
