[ad_1]
reIn the fight against the corona pandemic, Germany faces an extensive shutdown of public life starting next week. According to information from negotiating circles, the federal and state governments will carry out the appropriate consultations on Sunday with this project. During preliminary talks on Saturday, it was agreed that the stores would close starting in the middle of the week. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 prime ministers will now discuss and make decisions on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. They also want to clarify what additional measures need to be taken to stop the rapid rise in new infections. It should also be about schools and other contact restrictions.
“We definitely have to take the necessary measures before the middle of the week,” Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder of “Bild am Sonntag” said, according to a preliminary report. You have to look at all the areas: “School, kindergartens, shops and contacts”. The federal government had avoided an official invitation to the federal states to the very end, because it wanted first to make sure they were prepared to take much tougher action this time. would do. Initially, a stricter shutdown was considered from December 27 to January 10. In light of the worsening spread of the virus, there were growing votes for a much earlier start. Several state governments have already decided on comprehensive measures, some of which went into effect on Saturday.
The Robert Koch Institute again reported a significant increase in new infections on Saturday – 28,438 new cases and 496 more deaths in 24 hours. The number of those who tested positive is around 5,000 more than last Saturday. Overall, the number increased to more than 1.3 million, 21,466 people died.
Doctors warn of a dramatic situation in clinics
According to the RKI, the so-called seven-day incidence also jumped again to 163.8. The number indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants are infected for the first time in seven days. The value is moving further and further away from Target 50, which the federal and state governments are striving for. Health authorities can only trace chains of infection below this limit.
Doctors warn of a dramatic situation in clinics at Christmas and the so-called triage, that is, the weighing of which patient can still receive sufficient intensive care. According to the Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi), there will be an average of 30,000 new infections per day in the next two weeks and 420,000 people infected by Christmas. Since some of them show severe disease processes, it may no longer be possible for all appropriate intensive medical care.
Several federal states no longer want to wait for joint federal state decisions due to the sharp increase in the number of cases: Baden-Württemberg has already imposed exit restrictions across the country since Saturday. Saxony closes shops from Monday. Starting Wednesday, Saarland will significantly reduce classroom instruction in schools.
What points are still open?
According to information from Reuters, on Saturday there were agreements between the state chancelleries of the federal and state governments. Merkel also spoke with the countries led by the Union. According to information from negotiating circles, both the Chancellor and the 16 Prime Ministers are pushing for a national approach for various reasons. Merkel warns of a dramatic situation, especially in the psychologically sensitive Christmas season, to which it is essential to react together. For weeks he has been insisting on a stricter approach in the countries responsible for implementation. These, in turn, want a uniform approach because they want billions in compensation from the federal government for those affected by the closing of stores. “Also, acceptance of population cuts nationwide will increase if everyone in Germany joins them,” said a representative from the country.
The truth in negotiating circles is that the relaxation of contact restrictions for Christmas and New Year’s Eve decided at the end of November will also be withdrawn. It is also indisputable that between the years and until January 10, most of the stores will be closed except for grocery stores. Corona testing in nursing homes and nursing homes should be massively expanded and probably also binding. Furthermore, one does not want to close manufacturing companies or craft businesses, but to urge companies to close production, which is usually reduced these days, before, around and after Christmas.
If the stores close, the federal government should pay compensation. So far, restaurants closed in December have been offset based on sales. The federal government now says that financial aid for trade must be processed through the bridge aid instrument III. This primarily provides for a reimbursement of fixed costs. It must be decided on Sunday when exactly schools will close or limit their classroom teaching, he said Saturday. They definitely shouldn’t reopen until after January 10.
