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Sunday, November 22, 2020
The partial lock should initially only apply to November, but it seems that it will not continue to do so. But what’s next in December? Besides the head of the CSU, Söder, the candidate for chancellor of the SPD, Scholz, is in favor of continuing as in recent weeks.
It is a busy weekend for the heads of chancery of the federal states: they join forces in various groups to discuss how to proceed in the crown pandemic. On Monday, their bosses want to lash out at the federal states’ submission to Wednesday’s consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel. And one thing has been emerging for days: an extension of the partial lockdown is very likely.
Both federal and state politicians see no other way, both Christian Democrats and Social Democrats. Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz told “Bild am Sonntag”: “Everything speaks in favor of the fact that the current restrictions will have to continue beyond November 30 for a while.” Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder told the newspaper: “To have a good Christmas, we have to extend the blockade and certainly deepen it.” The CSU chief added: “At least until we hit the incidence value of 50 again.”
This means 50 new infections for every 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. This value was already mentioned as a goal when the stricter restrictions were issued in early November, because then it is assumed that the health system will not be permanently overloaded. The value is currently around 140. Söder said: “If we break the lockdown at this high level of infection numbers and lose patience, then everything will start again and we will end with even tougher measures than now in the Czech Republic or Austria. . ” And: “A longer lockdown now is better than a full exit restriction during Christmas.”
Therefore, the Union states are pushing for an extension of Corona’s restrictions until at least Christmas, as “Bild” reported from a preliminary meeting of the Union-led federal states before the next federal-state meeting.
What does that mean?
For the next few weeks: Without an extension, the restrictions should expire at the end of November. It seems that it has not yet been determined with certainty how long they should last beyond that. “In any case, two or better three weeks,” says Söder. Three weeks, that would be until just before Christmas. The business magazine “Business Insider” named the date December 20, referring to groups of countries. But Söder connects his ad with the memory of incidence value 50 as a target, which also leaves something open.
For Christmas: According to “Bild”, the countries of the union agree that contact restrictions should be relaxed at least during the Christmas holidays so that people without family can celebrate the festival with friends. The countries governed by the SPD also want a relaxation for the holidays, as the “Bild am Sonntag” reports. Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer told the newspaper: “At Christmas and New Year’s Eve, people should be able to meet their loved ones.” Earlier, the head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun, had already told the publishing network in Germany: “I cannot imagine that my grandparents do not celebrate at Christmas.”
For New Years Eve: Söder says that Christmas should be “freer”, “but New Year’s Eve should be more consistent”. By New Year’s Eve he would like firecrackers and alcohol to be banned in larger venues. “But there is no need for a blanket ban on firecrackers.”
For schools: The education ministers of the federal states insist on keeping them open, but advocate exceptions, according to information from the news portal “ThePioneer” and the German press agency. According to a decision taken on Friday, schools particularly affected from the eleventh grade in hotspot areas with a large number of infections should be able to switch to “continuous classroom teaching” in smaller study groups, that is, a change in learning at school and at home. In a second step, this is also planned for the lower grades of secondary schools. In any case, the final classes must remain at the school. Union countries want something similar: In Corona hotspots with a seven-day incidence of more than 200, there should be lessons of change from the seventh grade.
The former attitude of the federal states that schools are generally not an engine of the pandemic “is no longer sustainable”, says the director of the virological university institute of Düsseldorf, Jörg Timm, of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. Younger children are less likely to be infected with the virus, but they could pass it on. Children from the age of twelve are “as contagious as adults”: “That is why schoolchildren definitely play a role.” According to the will of the ministers of education, more tests will be carried out in schools that are particularly affected by the crown. After a vaccination has been approved, school personnel must receive a vaccination offer in accordance with your request.
For individual countries: According to the will of the countries of the Union, according to “Bild”, countries and districts with less than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants must have the opportunity to suspend the corona measures in seven days (“opt-out rule”). According to the state of Saturday night, only Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and around two dozen districts could benefit from this.
For trade: The countries of the Union want to keep retail and wholesale open. However, according to the report, they are extremely skeptical about open Advent Sundays.
For companies: Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz wants to continue paying aid to companies that have to close due to crown restrictions, possibly in December. “If the restrictions are extended, it is clear to me that financial support from the sectors directly affected will also continue to be necessary,” said the vice chancellor and SPD candidate for chancellor of “Bild am Sonntag”.
