The SPD politician is one of the advocates of comprehensive basic protection measures.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The traffic light coalition is still struggling over the Infection Protection Act, which expires next week, and the question of which corona measures should remain possible after March 19. While the SPD and the Greens want to maintain the basis for as many applicable restrictions as possible, the FDP is pushing for comprehensive easing.
The FDP-led Federal Ministry of Justice under Marco Buschmann and the Ministry of Health under Department Head Karl Lauterbach (SPD) are currently negotiating a compromise. The Chancellery is also involved.
Lauterbach was at least confident on Monday that the negotiations would be completed in time. “We have to remain able to act, and that’s what the law will be,” he said.
It is still open whether a corresponding draft law will be discussed in the federal cabinet this Wednesday, said Lauterbach. The negotiating parties are “close to an agreement”. The law could also be introduced by circulation.
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On Wednesday next week, the law is to be discussed in the first reading in the Bundestag. It should then come to the committee and then be passed by the Bundestag in the second and third reading on Friday and decided in the Bundesrat.
However, it is still unclear what the compromise might look like. Lauterbach had advocated the most comprehensive measures possible. In addition to the mask requirement and contact restrictions, an upper limit for private meetings and public events and access restrictions (2G and 3G rules) should also remain possible.
Greens want to stick to the Infection Protection Act for the time being
He receives support from the Greens, who, given the tight schedule, are even bringing an extension of the current Infection Protection Act into play. Janosch Dahmen, health policy spokesman for the Greens, told the Handelsblatt that the federal states “need prompt clarity so that they can prepare their corona regulations before March 19th”.
“If other crises need our full attention, given the tight schedule, it would make sense to extend the current Infection Protection Act,” said Dahmen.
Legal certainty is important, emphasized Dahmen. “Gradual, forward-looking easing only works where the situation actually improves and if there is a complete emergency kit of measures that can be taken quickly regionally if the situation worsens again.”
Dahmen also referred to the current infection situation. The new infections rose again, the hospitalization incidence, including late reports, was over eleven, he said. “The pandemic is obviously not over.”
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had previously reported 78,428 new infections within 24 hours. That’s 16,079 more than Monday a week ago.
In addition, the seven-day incidence increased for the fifth day in a row. The reading climbed to 1259.2 from 1231.1 the previous day. The seven-day incidence indicates how many people become infected per 100,000 inhabitants in one week.
Overall, the number of infections in Germany is more than 15.86 million. 24 other people died in connection with the virus.
The federal states had only implemented numerous corona relaxations on Friday. As part of the federal and state resolutions, there is again a 3G regulation in restaurants and hotels, which can now also host and accommodate unvaccinated people with a corona test.
Discotheques and clubs can reopen. At major events, more spectators are allowed to participate indoors and outdoors again. The Ministry of Health said on Friday that the fifth wave of the pandemic was considered to have peaked.
However, the FDP continues to insist on withdrawing the measures in the Infection Protection Act. Konstantin Kuhle, domestic policy spokesman for the FDP, told the Handelsblatt that Germany should “not single-handedly keep corona measures in reserve” while other countries open.
“The restrictions must be noticeably reduced by March 20,” demanded Kuhle. High incidences would not change that.
The measures against Corona should serve the purpose of preventing the health system from being overloaded, said Kuhle. If there is no such threat, there should be no strict measures.
More: The corona pandemic in the news blog