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Partial lockdown will be extended. The day before the Corona summit, the federal and state governments discussed new corona measures. The federal government proposes some adjustments.
To contain the corona pandemic, the partial lockdown in Germany is expected to extend until shortly before Christmas. Prime ministers of the federal states agreed on Monday night that the measures, which had previously been limited to late November, should initially continue until December 20. The final decision will be made on Wednesday when the country’s representatives meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).
On Tuesday there were negotiations between the heads of the state chancelleries of the federal states with the head of the chancellery, Helge Braun (CDU). The unified draft resolution of the federal states for consultations with Chancellor Merkel is available on t-online. There were also some federal proposals on Tuesday.
Proposals of the Federal Government for the negotiations:
- The one that has been in force since the beginning of November Partial blocking It will run until December 20. Closed businesses and facilities, especially the restaurant sector, will remain closed. Aid to affected companies will be expanded.
- To support this, a preference for the Christmas holidays on December 16.
- The federal government is in favor of stricter conditions for retail trade outside. In stores, make sure that there is no more than one customer for every 25 square meters of sales area. Until now, there can be no more than one customer for every 10 square meters of sales area.
- In countries or regions with many corona infections, the schools Beginning in the seventh grade, concepts are implemented as alternate lessons. Lessons should also start in a staggered fashion to smooth out the arrival of students in the morning.
- The federal government wants to control compliance with the crown’s requirements more strictly across the board. Consequently, there are also provisions for those who are not suspects. Control S, especially in the border area, to verify compliance with quarantine regulations.
The federal states want these measures:
- The one that has been in force since the beginning of November Partial blocking It will run until December 20. Closed businesses and facilities, especially the restaurant sector, will remain closed. Aid to affected companies will be expanded.
- To support this, a preference for the Christmas holidays on December 19.
- the Mask requirement it will be expanded and in the future also applied in front of retail stores and in parking lots.
- the Contact restrictions It will be adjusted from December 1. Private gatherings with friends, relatives and acquaintances should be limited to your own home and another home, but to a maximum of five people. Children up to 14 years old are excluded. Exception: Schleswig-Holstein wants to adhere to the above contact restrictions due to the low number of infections in the state.
- A Christmas Eve and New Years Eve contact restrictions are relaxed. From December 23 to January 1, gatherings of a maximum of ten people are allowed in a household with relatives or people who do not belong to the household. Children up to 14 years old are excluded.
- It is recommended to open on New Year’s Eve. Fireworks give up. Fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited in busy streets and squares.
- Whenever possible, people should spend several days at home before and after Christmas. Self quarantine to protect the people they want to meet on vacation.
- A schools In regions with significantly more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days, the mask requirement should also apply in the classroom from grade 7. A mask requirement can be introduced in grades 5 and 6 as well. as in elementary schools.
- The use of Rapid antigen tests it should be expanded. They will be used more intensively to discover chains of infection in schools. 20 rapid tests are provided per week for people who need care.
- Employers should check whether Offices and other workplaces May be closed for company vacations or generous home office solutions from December 23 through January 1.
- In the fight against the corona virus, countries also want to rely more and more on the further development of the state. Warning app set – You should receive several updates in the next few days. Read more about it here.
Some more open questions
During the consultations, it was not clear whether the anti-crown measures should always be extended 14 days from December 20 if the infection rate does not decrease significantly, or if the course will be discussed again in mid-December. It also remained open if there will be exceptions for areas with a low number of infections: the criterion is less than 35 or less than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in 7 days and a downward trend.
What does the Chancellor say about the country’s plans?
According to information from dpa, skepticism was expressed in country circles as to whether the foreign minister would be satisfied with the countries’ proposals. In these circles it was expected that the federal government would want to enforce stricter requirements for regulations in schools and requirements for Christmas than the federal states are willing to meet. Merkel failed a week ago with a proposal for more extensive contact restrictions and stricter rules in schools due to the veto of the federal states.
The chancellor wants to make a government statement in the Bundestag on Thursday after consultations with the federal states, as announced by government spokesman Steffen Seibert.
The federal government has already promised to extend November aid to provide financial support to businesses affected by the shutdowns and solo freelancers such as artists if the partial shutdown is extended. This is likely to cost billions more. “If we expand Corona’s measures, aid must also be expanded,” SPD chief Norbert Walter-Borjans told Germany’s publishing network (RND / Tuesday).
Lauterbach: required tightening and extension
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach advocates the planned extension and, in some cases, the tightening of state restrictions on the crown. Otherwise, the number of cases could not be reduced enough before Christmas, “so an extension and an adjustment is necessary,” he told the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. To contain the pandemic, more must be accomplished, especially in schools and in private gatherings.
The federal government authorized care representative, Andreas Westerfellhaus, insists that the care centers continue to allow the entry of visitors despite the current high number of corona infections. Residents of the home must decide for themselves if they want to receive visitors, he told “Passauer Neue Presse” (Tuesday). There is enough medical protective equipment. “There is no longer a shortage.”
Step-by-step plans are required for schools
The German Association of Cities spoke in favor of step-by-step plans in schools in all countries as the infection rate increased. “It is important for cities that there is clarity, especially in their own federal state, when it is necessary to reduce face-to-face teaching,” said City Council Speaker Burkhard Jung. Many cities are concerned that infections and necessary quarantine orders in schools are increasing.
“Cities want a good education for young people even during the pandemic,” Jung said. “We want to keep schools open as long as possible. But we also need practical scenarios so that schools can react appropriately to a large number of infections.”
(In an earlier version of the article, it was erroneously stated that the Chancellery and the federal states had reached an agreement on resolutions during preliminary talks on Tuesday.
