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In view of the growing number of corona cases, countries and many large cities have increased their security measures. Above all, accommodation bans and higher fines for those who do not wear masks are further discussed.
After the number of new confirmed corona infections rose significantly last week, several federal states have issued new restrictions. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, larger celebrations are no longer possible at the moment.
Several prime ministers called on citizens to be more disciplined. “The situation is serious. More serious than those who do not adhere to the protection measures believe,” said Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer. Only by reducing the number of contacts and following the rules can you “starve” the virus.
The affected cities are also trying to take countermeasures: in Berlin, a night curfew went into effect at the weekend, Stuttgart and Cologne, among other things, severely restrict alcohol consumption in public and tighten the mask requirement.
Söder defends the accommodation ban
Several federal states now require negative corona tests for vacationers from German risk areas; otherwise, they are no longer allowed to stay in hotels. CSU chief Markus Söder defended the accommodation ban, which applies to Bavaria, among others, against criticism. The key question is not “who is going on vacation where, but how can we fight it or how can we push the numbers,” the Bavarian prime minister said at the daily topics.
“In fact, we are too high with the numbers too early, and now we have to take the situation very seriously so as not to have an uncontrolled spread,” Söder said. Therefore, joint considerations are necessary for uniform rules “that are understandable and applicable to everyone in Germany”.
The prohibition of accommodation does not mean anything more “than the obligation to take the test”. This makes sense and twelve of the 16 federal states use it. However, it is only an “emergency measure,” Söder said. Even clearer rules are needed for the next few weeks. “We want to be better prepared for this holiday than for the last,” Söder said, referring to the many cases of travelers returning from abroad.
“Avoid a second block”
The most cautious rules should be the criteria for everyone, “not the rules that are easier for everyone to apply.” He welcomed the fact that the slogan of “more mask, less alcohol and smaller parties” is now being used everywhere in the main affected cities, Söder said. That is crucial, because now it is important to act quickly and consistently.
Söder again came out in favor of higher fines for violating the mask requirement. “It is important that we avoid re-entering the hospitals and that we do not have a vague and uncontrollable fact,” he said. Covering your mouth and nose is one of the few easy ways to maintain public life and “avoid a second lockdown.”
Lauterbach criticizes confusing travel rules
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach also spoke in favor of higher sentences. He pleaded in Berlin report for “uniform and really drastic fines.”
However, Lauterbach believes that the accommodation bans “failed.” Traveling in Germany has so far hardly contributed to the new cases, “so we are solving a problem that does not even exist.” Furthermore, the regulations are “totally confusing” and cannot be verified because test results are often out of date. “It seems that citizens are mocking and not fighting the pandemic.” He called on prime ministers to “clean this up before it really does any harm.”
Criticisms of Berlin and Thuringia
The state governments of Berlin and Thuringia had previously voiced criticism of the move. Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow said, for example, that the local health department must assess the seriousness of the situation. For example, a strong outbreak in one facility could push the boundaries for the entire region upward. “That’s why you can’t hold the rest of the county accountable.”
The ruling mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, announced on the ZDF program “Berlin direkt” that accommodation bans will be discussed again at the Prime Minister’s Conference next Wednesday. In several federal states, the fall holidays began on the weekend. However, due to bans, the people of Berlin cannot even go on vacation beyond the Brandenburg city limits. A holiday on the Baltic in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is also taboo for them.
Braun supports countries
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun, on the other hand, supported the federal states’ decision to ban accommodation. “The really sensible thing is that we are working in the cities to stay below this limit of 50. If we can do that, traveling will not be a problem,” said the CDU politician in the Berlin report. However, in view of the development of the pandemic in many cities, some countries are concerned about infections entering holiday regions.
The federal government wants the economy to continue and schools and kindergartens to remain open so the country can weather the crisis well, Braun said. “And that is why we have to be a bit stricter where the infection chains mainly spread, that is, at celebrations and, unfortunately, also when traveling.” The ban on hosting with the possibility of free trials is therefore “a true emergency measure”.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example, has an incidence of five, Berlin has more than 60. With such differences, it is “very clear that everyone wants to protect themselves, and then something like that is inevitable in the end.” Now big cities must be supported, Braun said. He feels confident because “because all the cities are now really taking decisive action.” The most important thing to keep the numbers low is that the contact follow-up is completely successful.
Several cities tear warning value
Nationwide, more and more cities are scratching the critical number of 50 new infections per 100,000 residents. They crossed Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Bremen, Stuttgart and Cologne, among others.
The number of people demonstrably infected with the corona virus increased by 3,483 on Sunday, as announced by the Robert Koch Institute. From Wednesday to Thursday the value had risen significantly from 2,828 to 4,058, from Thursday to Friday the number was 4,516. On Saturday morning there were 4,721 new cases. Experience has shown that the number of registered cases is usually lower on Sundays and Mondays, also because not all health authorities report data to the RKI during the weekend.
