Corona virus in Germany: the latest developments

The latest developments

• In Stuttgart, thousands of people protested the restrictions due to the crown pandemic. The “Stuttgarter Zeitung” reports on a large rally at the Cannstatter Wasen. Initiator Michael Ballweg demanded that fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of belief continue to apply. According to the newspaper, the IT businessman spoke to around 5,000 participants on Saturday. Behind the event is the “lateral thinking” initiative, which was initially prohibited from demonstrating. However, the Federal Constitutional Court accepted an urgent request and declared that the manifestations of the initiative were legal.
• Federal state of Saxony-Anhalt eases contact restrictions. Starting Monday, five people can travel together, even if they don’t belong in the same household. The state government decided on Saturday. Until now, only the accompaniment of a person who does not live in the same home was allowed. Starting Monday, all stores can reopen. Residents of nursing homes and nursing homes in Saxony-Anhalt may also receive visitors again, but under strict conditions. Starting May 11, one visiting hour per day is allowed provided visitors wear a protective mask. According to current figures, Saxony-Anhalt is slightly affected by the pandemic. Until now, the corona virus has been detected in around 1,600 people.
• According to Chancellor Angela Merkel, 8 billion euros are missing for the development of a corona vaccine. The chancellor asked for international cooperation in the search for medicines and vaccines. “Today, it is estimated that eight billion euros are still missing for the development of a vaccine,” he said Saturday in his weekly video speech. Merkel discusses the donor conference on May 4, to which the EU Commission has invited. Germany will participate with a large sum, Merkel said, but did not give exact figures. The Federal Republic assumes responsibility and will guarantee that a vaccine benefits everyone.
• According to a survey, hamster purchases at the start of the pandemic are mainly due to young and educated people. 43 percent of youth ages 18 to 29 said they had purchased more medications than usual during this period. In those aged 30 to 39, it was 34 percent. There were 15 percent of those aged 50 to 59 and only 9 percent of those over 60. This is the finding of a representative study by market researcher Nielsen on behalf of the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ( BAH), of which the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” is quoted. Consequently, it was especially the younger ones who bought more than the usual amounts for food and hygiene items. About every second person between the ages of 18 and 40 stated that they had bought more than usual. According to the survey, 24 of the 50 to 60 years did this and only 19 percent of those over 60 years. Large households and those with a high level of education hindered more according to the survey.
• A person aboard the Tui Cruises cruise ship “Mein Schiff 3”, which is anchored in Cuxhaven, has tested positive for the corona virus. The ship with currently 2,899 crew members, but no guests, was quarantined, the Cuxhaven district and the shipping company said. The crew will remain on board until further notice. The ship is currently being used as a kind of collective transport for the crew of the Tui fleet. Since the ports were closed due to the Corona crisis, the shipping company arranged the return trip to their home countries for their employees. After the start in Cuxhaven, according to Tui Cruises, 15 crew members with mild flu-like symptoms came to the hospital on board. The PCR tests were organized next. A result was positive. The 15 crew members are isolated in their own cabin and receive medical attention. According to the district, “some crew members” have already left the ship to return home on Thursday. Meanwhile, they have been instructed to quarantine. According to Tui Cruises, the case of Covid-19 had not previously been proven aboard the “Mein Schiff” fleet. The entire crew of all ships has been on board in isolation for over four weeks: the last contact of the “Mein Schiff” fleet with the outside world ashore was on March 23, the last guests left that day.
• In Germany, as in several European countries, unusually serious illnesses have been found in children. Coronaviruses have been detected in some of the children.. However, the numbers are very low. Young patients show symptoms similar to Kawasaki syndrome with fever and inflamed blood vessels. In Germany, at least two cases were reported by Reinhard Berner, director of the Dresden University Hospital. However, it is still unclear if there is a connection to a coronavirus infection, he told the German Press Agency. “It is quite conceivable,” he added. Cases from Switzerland, Italy and Spain have also been reported.
• The federal and state governments agree on smaller relaxation steps. As Chancellor Angela Merkel explained Thursday night (April 30) after a video conference with the prime ministers of federal states, playgrounds, museums, exhibitions, monuments and zoos can reopen under certain conditions. Church services should also be able to be performed again if protection against infection is observed. Federal states regulate the details. On the other hand, advice on a broader package to facilitate the closure of the crown, including the opening of schools and kindergartens and the gradual resumption of sports activities, should not be given until May 6. Only then will Merkel have enough knowledge about the effects of the first openings that have been implemented since April 20. The Bundesliga also has to wait for a decision on a possible restart.
• By April 26, German companies had registered short-term jobs for 10.1 million people. The Federal Employment Agency announced this record value on Thursday (April 30) in Nuremberg. It is still not possible to say how many of these people will actually work in the short term. The number of unemployed increased by 308,000 to 2.6 million in April compared to March. The unemployment rate, atypical for the season, increased 0.7 points to 5.8 percent. With a short-term job, companies in Germany can save themselves from an acute economic recession. The Federal Employment Agency assumes part of the loss of payment.
• The number of reproduction was reduced to 0.75. According to the management report of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of reproductions decreased from Wednesday afternoon to 0.75. The number indicates how many people are infected with the coronavirus on average. If possible, it should no longer rise above value one.

Two women in protective masks at the Stuttgart Stadtbahn: The mask requirement on public transport applies across the country, but rapes are handled differently in different federal states.

Arnulf Hettrich / Imago

The Bundestag has decided on an aid package for citizens and businesses (see “How does the German economy react to the virus?”). Parliamentarians also noted an emergency due to the pandemic. Hospitals, which have to postpone numerous operations and treatments due to the Corona crisis, also receive help. For this, they should be financially compensated, the government announced. Hospitals will also receive a bonus of EUR 50,000 for each additional intensive care bed.

Germany benefits from the fact that the density of supply of intensive care beds in hospitals is high in international comparison. This is shown in an overview published by the Federal Statistical Office in early April, which is based on an OECD study.

Accordingly, in 2017 there were 33.9 intensive care beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany, so capacities are being further expanded in the current crisis. According to these statistics, Italy and Spain, which are particularly affected by the virus, are significantly worse with values ​​below 10 (2020 and 2017). Germany also performed well internationally with around 6 beds per 1,000 inhabitants (2017) in terms of the level of hospital beds.

Lufthansa aircraft park on the north-west runway of Frankfurt airport.

Armando Babani / EPA

The federal and state governments agreed on March 22 to ban the gathering of more than two people. This should initially apply for two weeks, but has been extended until at least May 3. Then Easter holidays end in most federal states. There are only exceptions to contact restrictions for family members living in their own home. Parties are no longer allowed, either outdoors or in your own apartment. Cafes, restaurants and pubs have to close. You can only collect food or take it home. Hairdressers, cosmetic studios, massage practices, and tattoo artists also had to close. On April 15, the chancellor and the prime ministers of the federal states decided to alleviate the situation. Stores of up to 800 square meters can reopen, and schools should gradually start operating again. It begins with the older age groups in most federal states. Kindergartens and elementary schools remain tight until further notice.

Merkel had already announced on March 16 that much of public life in Germany would be closed: schools and kindergartens would be closed across the board. Orders are valid in most federal states until the end of April or the beginning of May. The regulations in the countries are different. Bars, clubs, theaters, operas, gyms and playgrounds are also closed. Meetings such as associations, churches, mosques, and synagogues are no longer allowed. Restricted access rules apply to hospitals and care facilities. Vacation travel to Germany and abroad should no longer exist, Merkel said. Meanwhile, grocery stores, banks, service stations and pharmacies remain open.

From March 20, entry and exit at the borders with Switzerland, Austria, France, Luxembourg and Denmark is only possible at certain crossings. Only in “major exceptional cases” such as “significant traffic disruption” can the Federal Police exceptionally allow the border to be crossed elsewhere. A list of approved crossing points is available on the ministry’s website. Anyone traveling to Switzerland by train will only arrive in Basel. There, at the Badischer Bahnhof, operated by Deutsche Bahn, trains terminate from Berlin and Kiel or Hamburg that should have gone to Interlaken Ost or Chur. Borders are now also controlled in intra-European air and sea transport.

All federal states have decided to wear a mask, but the rules vary. In Berlin, for example, masks should only be used on public transport. In other federal states, however, the mask requirement also applies when purchasing.

The Federal Government warns against traveling abroad at least until the end of April, worldwide and without exception. “We must take into account the increasing drastic restrictions on tourist traffic, quarantine measures and restrictions on public life,” says a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first infections with the corona virus were detected in Bavaria in January. This particularly affected a company whose employees had had contact with a woman from China. Infections were also found in two German returnees from Wuhan. However, these cases did not lead to other known infections. In late February, a couple from the Heinsberg district in North Rhine-Westphalia tested positive for the virus. The other two guests were infected at a carnival event. With this, the spread of the virus began.

The restrictions of the economic and social life health policy (“closure”) and the interruption of international supply chains put great pressure on the economy. Intermediate products do not reach Germany, exports are less in demand or cannot be delivered, and domestic consumption is restricted. Meanwhile, the first discontinued activities, including in the auto industry and retail, are starting again.

In this context, the Ifo business climate index fell from 85.9 points in March to 74.3 points in April, as announced by the Ifo Institute on Friday (April 24). This is the lowest value ever measured; There has never been a sharp decline in a month. The highly regarded index is based on reports from around 9,000 companies on their current business situation and their expectations for the next six months.

In addition, around 751,000 companies in Germany registered short-term jobs for up to 10.1 million people in March and until April 26. This was announced by the Federal Employment Agency on April 30. It is possible that not all of these people actually work in the short term because caution records may have been made. However, this is an unprecedented number compared to the past few decades. Even in the year of the 2009 financial crisis, “one-off” ads were received for 3.3 million people.

Estimates and scenarios for the depth and duration of the economic recession in Germany are published almost daily. They have become darker over time and remain associated with high levels of uncertainty. The federal government’s spring projection, released April 29, assumes a 6.3 percent drop in gross domestic product (GDP) this year. This would make the recession even more severe than during the financial crisis, which led to a 5.7% decrease in economic output in 2009. The government expects 5.2% growth again in 2021.

Therefore, the spring projection is more pessimistic than the spring report released on April 8 by five leading economic research institutes. The latter forecasts a 4.2 percent decline in real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, followed by a strong recovery of 5.8 percent in the coming year. Based on both forecasts, the strongest decline is likely to occur in the current second quarter.

On March 23, the federal government launched a corona package with the help of hundreds of billions. The proposals were quickly dealt with and approved by the Bundestag and Bundesrat in a few days. The package complements and extends the measures that the government already presented in mid-March. Meanwhile, the approval of loan applications and the payment of grants for freelancers and small businesses has started quickly. Since then, the program has also been repeatedly adapted and supplemented at smaller points.

The goal of the aid is to secure jobs and businesses during the temporary “freeze” of the economy. One of the core elements of the package is a fund endowed with € 50 billion, from which one-time grants of up to € 15,000 can be paid to small businesses (up to 10 employees) damaged by coronaviruses, farmers, self-employed and self-employed. Secondly, there are programs of the institution of public credit for reconstruction (KfW) with cheap loans as liquidity aid for all companies. In addition, there are tax exemptions, including the interest-free deferral of tax payments due in difficult cases.

A third element is an economic stabilization fund (WBS), through which the state can provide loan guarantees to larger companies. In special cases, WBS may also acquire temporary holdings of companies to avoid bankruptcy or hostile acquisition. The fourth key element is easier access to short-term benefits.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the budgetary measures of the general government to combat the pandemic add up to a total of 353 billion euros this year. State guarantees amount to around 820 billion euros. To finance this, the federal government wants to obtain new loans for an additional amount of around 156 billion euros through an additional budget.

As the government spends more money and economic output and tax revenues decrease at the same time, the federal government expects a government deficit of 7.25 percent of GDP for the current year in accordance with the adopted 2020 stability program. on Wednesday (April 22) “based on a very preliminary assessment” and an increase in Maastricht’s debt-to-GDP ratio to around 75 percent of GDP. Each euro country has to present a stability program with such EU projections in April.

Tegeler See in Berlin: distance and proximity in Crown times.

Christian Mang / Reuters

Transmission of the virus through imported food or products is unlikely, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. However, you should wash your hands regularly and observe hygiene rules when preparing food. Since viruses are heat sensitive, the risk can be reduced by heating food.

The stability of coronaviruses depends on many factors. This includes temperature, humidity, and the nature of the surface. In general, viruses are not particularly stable on dry surfaces, writes the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. However, the virus could remain infectious for up to three hours as a spray, up to 24 hours in cardboard, and up to two to three days in stainless steel and plastic. By directly sneezing or coughing an infected person, pathogens can reach cutlery or dishes and survive there for a time. Theoretically, infection through door handles is also possible, but only if viruses enter the handle directly by coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have a handkerchief ready when you sneeze or cough, you should hold your elbow in front of your mouth and nose. It is generally not advisable to touch your face with your hands.

The most important telephone numbers for the corona virus in Germany:

• General initial information: 115
• Emergency medical service: 116117
• Citizen Service of the Ministry of Health: 030 346 465 100
• Citizen Service of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 030181 730 00

The most important news about developments outside Germany can be found here.

With agency material