Berlin Neighboring countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria are showing the way, now Germany also wants to gradually withdraw the corona measures.
At today’s federal-state summit of Prime Ministers and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), numerous relaxations are on the agenda, which the heads of the state chancellery have worked out in a draft resolution. In the version from Tuesday evening, which is available to the Handelsblatt, it says:
- As a first step, all contact restrictions for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered should be lifted. This means: private meetings would be possible again “without limiting the number of participants”. So far, the number was limited to ten participants. In a first draft, there was talk of a higher limit, now it is to be completely abolished.
- In addition, access to retail should be “possible nationwide for everyone without controls.” Only medical masks should have to be worn there.
- The second step is scheduled for March 4th. Then the 2G access rules in restaurants and hotels should fall, instead people with daily tests should also have access (3G).
- Discotheques and clubs “are opened for those who have recovered and those who have been vaccinated with a daily test or with a third vaccination (2G-Plus).” The 2G or 2G-Plus rule should continue to apply to major national events. Up to 60 percent of the maximum capacity and a maximum of 6000 people should be allowed to take part in indoor events. Outdoors it is 75 percent of maximum capacity and a maximum of 25,000 people.
- On March 20th, all “profound protective measures” should then fall, including the home office regulation.
However, the federal and state governments also want to enable “low-threshold basic protective measures” such as the obligation to wear masks, keeping your distance and hygiene rules afterwards. The obligation to provide evidence of the vaccination, recovered and test status should continue to be possible.
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The Bundestag should create the legal basis for this – the measures regulated by the Infection Protection Act expire on March 19th. A Bundestag session is already planned for this at the beginning of March.
Read more: Disoriented, without a concept, sluggish – the corona policy also fails when it is opened
“It should be completed in good time before March 20, 2022 and also contain a regulation on additional protective measures in the event of a local outbreak in individual counties, districts or independent cities for additional protective measures that threaten to overload the local capacities of the health system”. , is it[calledInplainlanguage:Theendofthemeasureislimiteduntilthenextwaveofinfection
Draft decision of the Union-led federal states
The Union-led federal states added their own draft resolution on Tuesday evening. The paper is available to the Handelsblatt.
They urge systematic data collection for vaccinations, as the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council had called for on January 22, 2022. They also want the vaccinated and recovered status to be extended to six months in the future and to nine months for those who have been vaccinated twice.
Shortly before the meeting, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst spoke out in favor of a phased opening strategy in the corona pandemic. “We shouldn’t throw everything overboard that has proven itself as a protective mechanism in recent months,” said the CDU politician on Deutschlandfunk on Wednesday.
The chairman of the Prime Ministers’ Conference does not want to rush into the openings.
(Photo: dpa)
You should take 14 days between the individual stages and look in both directions to see whether the procedure is successful or whether you have to be more careful. “We shouldn’t rush anything now, but combine openness and mindfulness,” said Wüst, who is chairman of the Prime Ministers’ Conference.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also opposed a complete reduction in the measures. Lauterbach told the German Press Agency in Berlin that it was time to relax with a sense of proportion. However, it is still necessary to be able to react quickly and flexibly to the pandemic.
The virus does not go away overnight. “That’s why we have to formulate the Infection Protection Act in such a way that basic protection is guaranteed and can be extended if necessary.” The SPD politician announced: “We will supplement the text in the parliamentary procedure so that more is possible after March 20 as a mask and distance.”
Careful approach
The Federal Government’s expert council had warned of a cautious approach in the event of easing. “If all measures were dropped overnight, it would take significantly longer for the incidences to drop again.
You would risk a plateau or even an increase again,” said virologist Sandra Ciesek on Tuesday in the NDR podcast “The Corona Virus Update”. This is dangerous for people without sufficient immune protection and children under the age of five for whom there is no vaccination yet.
The nationwide seven-day incidence had fallen on Wednesday for the fourth day in a row. This increases the evidence that the omicron wave actually breaks. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week as 1401.0. For comparison: the day before the value was 1437.5.
With agency material.
More: Lauterbach sees the peak of the omicron wave reached – “moderate loosening” possible