The closure of the wreath at Christmas threatens, warns virologist Christian Drosten

The partial lockdown, which has been in place since early November, has slowed the rapid rise in new corona infections. Virologist Drosten says: That’s not enough.

Berlin – To contain the Corona-Pandemie in Germany has the virologist Christian drosten pronounced by a rapid tightening of state requirements. “It is true that we absolutely have to do something now,” said the Charité scientist in the last “Coronavirus update “ in “NDR-Info”. The holiday season is very likely to cause an increase in the number of cases. If there is no readjustment now, there is the threat of “late January and beyond all of February.” Emergency shutdown with huge consequences for the economy.

Virologist Christian Drosten in Corona: Reduce more contacts

Drosten is one of the experts who contributed to a statement published by the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday (December 8, 2020). It is recommended that the public holidays and the turn of the year for a “hard Emergency closure “ use. From December 24 to at least January 10, “public life throughout Germany should be practically inactive.” As of December 14, contacts should be reduced to an “absolute minimum”. Drosten said during Closures In the spring, contacts in Germany were down 63 percent, but today it is only 43 percent. “That’s not enough”.

Leopoldina’s article should perhaps be understood as a “clear and final warning from science,” she said. Drosten. If politics decided otherwise *, Jens Spahn recently commented on new corona measures *, it would no longer have decided in favor of science. Among others, the director of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, and the president of the Helmholtz Association, Otmar Wiestler, are listed under the statement. From the point of view of experts, the number of new infections is despite the one that has been in force since the beginning of November. Partial locks further too high.

Christmas and Wreath: Christian Drosten advises against family visits

Families living far from each other should Drosten according to this year maybe not necessarily about that public holidays to visit. He also stated that rapid tests are just a snapshot: “If you want to use antigen tests like this for family visits, you basically have to test yourself on them every morning.” Drosten do this as a precaution before visiting, for example, with grandparents quarantine go.

In schools should Virology according to the new year, not everything will continue as before. Something has to happen there in terms of organization. The scientists involved in the statement had the impression of a dire school situation, he said. Drosten. There is a “significant infection rate” there. Data from England showed that, especially in the cohorts above primary school, more infections occurred than in the normal population. “If you want to let it go anywhere, it is the age of elementary school and kindergarten,” he said. Drosten. But he wanted to be “anything but a preacher of school closings.”

Corona and the school: Christian Drosten for sharing classes

La Leopoldina recommends with a view to the Back to school in January so that mouth and nose protection is mandatory in class for all grades. In addition, in secondary schools, uniform country rules should be developed for alternative instruction, that is, with presence in class and digitally, which should take effect from a certain level of infection. Drosten suggested class division on the podcast. (FR / dpa) * merkur.de is part of the national Ippen network.

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