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Prime Minister Dreyer defended the stricter crown measures in her statement of government. The aim is not to exhaust the capacities in intensive care units. She proudly demonstrated that a Mainz company is a leader in vaccine development.
The state government will do everything possible to protect the health of the population of Rhineland-Palatinate and to keep the damage to social life and the economy as low as possible, Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) said in the state parliament on Wednesday. . The objective of the new partial closure is mainly to prevent the measures from reaching the capacity limit for intensive care beds in the country. Dreyer explained that he ensured that all corona patients in Rhineland-Palatinate could receive the necessary medical care. The number of intensive care beds in hospitals has increased, more ventilators have been purchased and more personnel have been trained.
Dreyer described the situation of the crown in Rhineland-Palatinate at the beginning of his speech. As of today, there are 924 new infections and 13,221 people infected with the coronavirus. 342 people died in connection with the Covid 19 disease. But behind each number is also a destination, which is important for her to emphasize, Dreyer said. Now there are the first signs that the exponential dynamics of the infection process is weakening.
Mainz vaccine: Good news from Biontech
Fortunately, development of a coronavirus vaccine is also progressing, according to Dreyer. The fact that Mainz-based company Biontech is the first company in the world to submit an application for approval of a vaccine in the coming week is “very, very good news.” The state government is currently working with all its might to prepare the distribution of the vaccine for Rhineland-Palatinate. There will be a vaccination center in each independent city and in each district. Dreyer initiated an orientation debate in state parliament on the ethical issues associated with distribution. However, the Prime Minister does not expect the Corona crisis to end quickly. “We will have to maintain protective measures such as wearing a mask for a long time.”
Schools and kindergartens must remain open
Another clear goal of the partial closure is to keep daycare centers and schools open, Dreyer said. The state government is doing everything it can to protect students and teachers and, at the same time, to enable safe teaching in the classroom. If there were a higher incidence of infection in schools, older students could switch between distance and face-to-face lessons for a limited period of time. Dreyer also emphasized that the country supports a safe way to school. There are currently 180 additional state-subsidized school buses and another 70 buses are ready.
CDU calls for investments in research and health
The leader of the CDU parliamentary group and leader of the opposition, Christian Baldauf, accused the country of numerous shortcomings in crisis management. Among other things, he called for a corporate salary for cultural workers and a viable concept for the use of video systems and air purification devices in schools. Research institutions must finally be supported by the state with a special research fund. The Mainz company Biontech and its successes in vaccine research are not a source of pride for the state: “Biontech is successful despite the research and innovation policy of this state government and not because of it.”
Baldauf cautioned that the distribution of the vaccine would have to be widely discussed and communicated in a transparent way. “Because these are decisions that must be absolutely understandable to the population.” Until a change in trend is achieved, the situation will remain extremely dire. It cannot be ruled out that hospitals will become overcrowded during the winter. The state government is responsible for putting together the healthcare system for the future. The leader of the CDU parliamentary group called for an investment plan for the health sector. Health authorities need more staff and there is also a glaring shortage of doctors.
AfD wants parliament to get more involved
The leader of the AfD parliamentary group, Uwe Junge, called for the state parliament to be more involved in decisions on the crown’s measures. The prime minister and speaker of the state parliament, Hendrik Hering (SPD), believed that parliament was sufficiently involved in the government’s statements. “No, that’s not enough,” Junge said. “Parliaments have to decide, not just to be heard.” He reiterated his group’s call for restrictions to be lifted in sectors such as restaurants and hotel services. Long-term damage caused by partial blockage can hardly be repaired. “The closure of all sports, cultural and leisure facilities as well as gastronomy is and was detrimental and disproportionate,” Junge said. Never before in history has the entire healthy population been isolated during epidemic times.
FDP calls for faster financial aid, the protection of the Greens to the weakest
The chairwoman of the FDP parliamentary group, Cornelia Willius-Senzer, used the debate on the Dreyer government’s statement to launch violent attacks against the federal government. The fact that financial aid cannot reach companies threatened by the company’s existence more quickly is due to the bankruptcies in Berlin. He demanded “an urgent plan” from the federal government on how the fight against the pandemic should continue in December and beyond. It should be clear where the sources of infection are and how risk groups should be protected. In view of the increasing number of infections, one cannot speak of a relief from the situation.
The head of the Green Group, Bernhard Braun, said: “I see light at the end of the tunnel. But the tunnel is still quite long. We cannot take off our masks and dance.” With the increase in the number of infections, intensive care beds in Germany are already being used as much as in spring. Therefore, it is urgent to take protective measures and avoid contacts. “Responsibility towards the weakest must first be shown,” Braun said, calling for this responsibility to also be assumed during the climate crisis.
Debate over voting by mail in state elections
The upcoming state elections in 2021 were also a topic in the state parliament, especially since it is also under the impression of the crown pandemic. The three factions of the semaphore government and the opposition CDU want to secure the March 14 election with a law. This allows for nationwide postal voting in individual regions or even across the country, should the pandemic make voting impossible, speakers from all four groups said.
The law also aims to facilitate small parties’ access to state elections. The bill was referred to the committees. It should take effect in December, said SPD parliamentary manager Martin Haller. The parliamentary director of the AfD parliamentary group, Jan Bollinger, warned against manipulation of postal votes at the national level.
In a pandemic, elections are a particular challenge, especially for the state teller. He’s already making sure that, in extreme cases, the upcoming state elections are also 100 percent vote-by-mail.
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Next federal-state meeting on November 16
Since the beginning of November, stricter regulations have also been put in place in Rhineland-Palatinate to curb the spread of the crown. The number of new infections every day is still high, in most of the country the warning light is red. The number of corona cases in schools is increasing and protection measures there are under criticism.
At the next meeting of the Prime Ministers with the Federal Chancellor on Monday (November 16), an initial tentative conclusion will be drawn. Dreyer announced that he would advocate for more joint action by the states. It will also work to ensure that organizers and artists, who now have barely any income, receive targeted help beyond November. “Because culture is not an industry like the others.”
Landtag commemorates victims of terror and violence
With a minute’s silence, the Mainz state parliament recalled the victims of terror and violence at the beginning of the plenary session. The remembrance of the victims of National Socialism on November 9 is “a reminder and warning for all of us to stand up against racism, anti-Semitism, terror and violence,” said Speaker of the State Parliament, Hendrik Hering. He regretted that due to the November 9 pandemic, a direct exchange between parliamentarians and young people in schools was not possible.