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WGermans will probably go through Christmas without vaccinating. The vaccine must be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) no later than December 29.
Lower Saxony Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) shows no understanding for the long duration of the exam compared to other countries. The physician and journalist Werner Bartens also finds the duration “scandalous”.
Infectologist Susanne Herold criticized the long “blocking light” on the show. After four weeks, other measures would have been necessary. Cabaret artist Margie Kinsky shows how difficult Christmas can be this year.
The mother of six cannot celebrate with all of her children this year. She has already set priorities for herself: “Grandma takes priority.” Pastor Ellen Radtke relies on hygiene concepts in churches and reports on creative ideas for worship services.
The subject of program vaccination
“I don’t understand why it takes so long in Europe to approve vaccines that are already used in other parts of the world,” says Weil. Last week, the US approved Pfizer and Biontech’s vaccine, which was also under investigation in Germany, and Britain approved it in early December. This means that fewer doses of vaccine are available in Germany, Weil reports.
For Bartens, the cause is a “supranational authority with different characters, some very energetic, others a little more sleepy.” Herold also sees advantages in late approval. In the event of an emergency approval, public confidence would be lowered and fewer people would be vaccinated.
“These concerns have not dissipated in January either,” says Bartens. He fears that other countries will buy the vaccine despite agreed quotas, similar to protective masks at the beginning of the pandemic. Weil can’t dispel that. However, when it comes to approval, the federal government is trying to “work hard to speed it up.”
The extra sausage service
According to the will of the Chancellor and the Prime Minister, religious services should be allowed during the closure. Religious communities have such a special role. Bartens criticizes “many injustices”. For many, culture is as important as it is for other worship services. But the theaters are closed.
Weil justifies the distinction with a “special protection of fundamental rights” of religion. This alone will hardly explain the preference. Art and freedom of occupation are also protected in the constitution. Also, mosques, synagogues, and churches can be open throughout the closure, not just during the Christmas holidays.
As if to justify things, Radtke refers to the volunteers “working on hygiene concepts.” The pastor lists measures such as disinfection and masks that strongly recall the concepts of the now closed restaurants and theaters.
Weil also has to admit that privilege is not without risk. Send a request to “a real troubled group”: free, often evangelical churches. There have been many infections there in the past. A lot is happening “behind closed doors”.
The Christmas example of the night
“Grandma has the right of way,” Kinsky explains. The cabaret artist cannot invite her six children for Christmas this year. Because beyond your own home, you can only invite a maximum of four additional people from the closest family circle over the age of 14 during the holidays.
The number of households joining is irrelevant. “Sensible people who take regulations seriously have an incredible amount of explosives,” says Radtke.
Lots of people would go to the shepherds this year before Christmas. Otherwise, this is always the case after the holidays, advises the pastor. The situation is particularly difficult for families with relatives in nursing homes. Radtke, who lives with his wife and son, also reports problems with queer people.
“I noticed a lot of anger,” says Radtke. The circle of friends often replaces the family there. The holiday exemption is useless there. Because outside of the immediate family circle, meetings are still limited to a maximum of two households and a maximum of five people.
The nursing home dilemma
A viewer asks via video message why nursing homes weren’t equipped with faster FFP2 masks. “There are enough FFP2 masks and there is no reason why they should not be used,” says Weil. The SPD man does not explain why masks are not mandatory in such facilities.
Many households now also use rapid tests. Herold sees “no savior” in the tests. These are just a snapshot. “That doesn’t mean that if I take the free test on the morning of the 24th, I can’t infect my grandmother two days later,” explains the doctor. Also, the tests are sometimes inaccurate. “That doesn’t protect against outbreaks,” Herold says.
An inaccurate test is even more troublesome. It gives a false security. Bartens still sticks to the evidence. There are also some that are more accurate. “We have no security in any area,” says the journalist, citing Bavaria as an example. All employees must be examined there twice a week. “This is the result of a joint decision”, says Weil and continues in the direction of his Bavarian counterpart Söder, “with a country where it is always noticed in a very special way.”
The show’s kindergarten indictment
“It strikes me as an anti-authoritarian kindergarten,” says Bartens. Politicians have not prepared for a second wave.
There were warnings of this as early as the spring: “That wasn’t rocket science.” Many people have now seen that the risk of infection among friends is lower than with strangers. “It is precisely then when it is necessary to have more clarity on the announcements of the policy”, says the doctor.
Herold also sees shortcomings in the policy. “We shouldn’t have used the ‘blocking light’ for so long,” says the infectologist. After four weeks, other measures would have been necessary. Weil sees responsibility not just in politics, even if this could help the fight: “In the end, it all comes down to the contributions of all of us personally.”
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