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The number of new infections in Germany remains high: doctors and virologists therefore warn against relaxing the partial blockade. Health Minister Spahn said the breakwater was having an effect, but not enough.
A few days before another federal-state meeting, politicians are discussing whether the current partial lockdown is the right strategy and whether it should last longer. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn defended the restrictions in place since early November.
“The breakwater works,” the CDU politician told “Welt.” “The exponential growth has been broken. We agree that that is not enough. But it has been successful, once again.” Spahn justified the great importance that the federal government attaches to the number of infections. “We are the country with one of the oldest populations in the world,” said the minister.
As the number of infections increases, sooner or later the need for treatment in intensive care units will also increase. “I want us to break the wave before there is a lot of unnecessary suffering in hospitals,” Spahn emphasized.
Lindner misses the federal government’s strategy
FDP President Christian Lindner contradicted the minister in the “Welt” dispute and accused the government of a lack of strategy. “My fear is: we will not find a way out of the current lockdown in November this year,” Lindner said.
“And if we end it, the next one will be there a few weeks later. That would be an intermittent policy that causes enormous social and economic damage.” The government’s breakwater strategy is not working, it is not sustainable, Lindner said.
He reiterated his position that with better protection of risk groups, the closure of gastronomy, culture, leisure and sports would be unnecessary.
Virologists consider an extension of the enclosure appropriate
Meanwhile, an extension or even a tightening of the above restrictions is deemed necessary by several virologists and physicians in view of the continuing high number of corona infections.
“The goal was to achieve a significant decrease in new infections. However, almost three weeks after the start of the measures, we did not see a significant drop, but a lateral movement,” said the chief virologist at the University of Heidelberg, Hans- Georg Kräusslich, from the “Rhein-Neckar Newspaper”. “So it is clear that the real goal has not been achieved.”
Kekulé for alternate lessons
Therefore, the virologist Alexander Kekulé calls for a hardening. “At the next federal-state meeting on Wednesday, the new anti-corona resolutions are absolutely necessary. This should include immediately dividing classes at all high schools and switching to alternate lessons,” said the expert from the University of Halle-Wittenberg. the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. At the same time, he advocated leaving nursery schools and elementary schools open.
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun is also concerned about the situation in schools. In secondary schools in particular, “every effort should be made to adhere to the distance rules,” he told the publishing network in Germany, also suggesting that older students should increasingly teach digitally at home.
Kekulé also spoke in favor of starting the Christmas holidays across the country a week before Christmas Eve. That would be December 17; In most countries, holidays start on December 19, in others not until December 23. “This would also significantly reduce out-of-school contacts,” Kekulé explained. That could create a valuable buffer to get back on the green for the turn of the year.
Reinhardt warns of overly strict restrictions
The president of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, expects the restrictions, initially limited at the end of November, to be extended. “It must be assumed that the closing light will continue in December. This is also necessary in view of the situation in the intensive care units,” he told the “Passauer Neue Presse. However, he cautioned against excessive tightening: “We must pay close attention to the specific design of the measures.”
The partial lockdown went into effect in Germany in early November, initially for four weeks. But there are growing doubts that the stricter crown measures will expire at the end of the month. An extension of the partial lockdown is becoming evident in the upcoming federal-state consultations.
According to media reports, citing country circles, the measures could be extended until shortly before Christmas. This is what “Berliner Morgenpost”, “Tagesspiegel” and “Business Insider” report. Restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities are likely to remain closed. Stores, on the other hand, should obviously be able to open during the Christmas business that is important to them.
