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Restaurants, shops and schools have been closed since mid-December, contacts are reduced, but the number of infections remains high. More and more politicians and medical professionals are calling for the blockade to be extended.
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 prime ministers of the federal states want to discuss next Tuesday with Chancellor Angela Merkel how to proceed. 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 are being tested due to holidays, and not all offices are able to submit their data as regularly.
Reimann also does not rule out stricter measures
Lower Saxony Health Minister Carola Reimann told Deutschlandfunk that current infection data is unreliable, but the number of patients who must be treated in hospitals speaks very clear language. So you expect the lock to be extended. “It seems that no other approach is indicated,” said the SPD politician. Nor did he rule out further tougher measures. It is to be feared that there will be another massive increase in the number of infections after the holidays.
Karl Lauterbach, an SPD health expert, also proposes tough measures. However, you can at least imagine that kindergartens and schools will open in 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 refuses to open all schools, otherwise there is a risk that the desired incidence value of 50 will not even be reached.
The Divi president advises an incidence value below 25 to alleviate
For medical professionals, the matter is clear: loosening is currently out of the question. 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 health system needs urgent help”
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.”
