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After renewed consultations between Chancellor Merkel and the prime minister, it is clear: the partial lockdown will continue until January 10. According to Merkel, the number of new corona infections is still too high.
The partial closure with closed restaurants, museums, theaters and leisure facilities will run until January 10. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of the federal states decided on this during their deliberations. “In principle, the condition remains as it is now,” Merkel said.
According to the chancellor, Germany is still “very far” from the target values in the crown pandemic. There were a large number of fatalities to complain about. This shows the responsibility of the federal and state governments. In seven days, a value of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants should be reached, Merkel said.
Söder is considering tightening the rules
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has already indicated a possible further tightening of the crown’s rules. At some point, it will be necessary to consider deepening the measures in some areas, said the CSU politician. Then you have to consider: better shorter, more consistent than longer, semi-consistent.
In contrast, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig said her state reserved the right not to extend the partial shutdown until January 10. The MV Summit will make a decision on this on December 15th. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, along with Schleswig-Holstein, is one of two states that, thanks to a seven-day low incidence of fewer than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, could deviate from national regulation.
Record number of deaths
German health authorities had recently reported 487 coronavirus-related deaths to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within 24 hours. 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. The number of new infections remained at a high level at 17,270.
The partial lockdown, which has been in place since November, was extended to shortly before Christmas last week. The decision document had established that the federal and state governments assumed that large restrictions would be required in early January due to the high level of infection, especially in the area of restaurants and hotels.
Preparations for vaccines are ongoing
At the same time, the federal and state governments are preparing for the early start of corona vaccines. The first vaccine approvals in the EU could take place in late December, Merkel said. That is why it is important that preparations are well advanced by the end of the year.
The Chancellor said that there are great efforts in the federal states to establish planned regional vaccination centers. Furthermore, the Permanent Vaccination Commission (STIKO) draws up a recommendation based on the Civil Protection Law on which population groups should have priority. On this basis, the Federal Ministry of Health will soon issue an ordinance.
Müller calls for uniform vaccination regulations across the country
Berlin Mayor Michael Müller said he would like the federal government to determine the framework conditions for the next mass vaccinations as soon as possible. Many countries like Berlin are already well prepared with their vaccination centers. “But it is important that we stick together on this,” he said after consultations with Merkel.
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 happen by itself,” added Müller.
