Berlin In view of the rapidly expanding omicron variant, the federal and state governments are planning tougher corona measures. “Unfortunately, tightening will be necessary in order to counter the heavy wave that is coming our way,” said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) the editorial network Germany.
Before the meeting, some federal states had already pushed forward. Hamburg introduced the so-called 2G-plus rule – there now vaccinated and convalescent people also have to submit a test for large parts of public life. And Berlin’s Senator for Health Ulrike Gote (Greens) spoke out on RTL / ntv for stricter mask requirements and further restrictions on access to restaurants.
A shortened quarantine is also under discussion in order to avoid staff shortages due to high numbers of infections. The federal and state health ministers want to discuss this in a video link.
Among other things, the question is whether the quarantine for fully vaccinated people who are still infected or have had contact with an infected person can be reduced. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has so far recommended a 14-day quarantine for contact persons of infected people who have been infected with the Omikron variant – even if they have been vaccinated or have recovered. Details are still open.
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“The shortening is based on scientific findings,” emphasized Federal Health Minister Lauterbach. Studies have shown that the phase in which the virus spreads in the body and the phase in which a person is contagious are much shorter with Omikron. “So we can shorten the quarantine period to a certain extent without taking any risks,” said the SPD politician.
The shortening must also be geared towards the fact that “certain areas of the critical infrastructure could be required – in particular hospitals, care for the elderly as well as the police, fire brigade and the supply of water and electricity”. School and travel should also be considered.
A shortened quarantine must be possible, especially for asymptomatic infected people and contact persons, if our infrastructure is otherwise at risk. Confederation of German Employers’ Associations
According to the participants, the conversation is that the quarantine period for people who have been vaccinated three times and who have had contact with an infected person will be lifted or at least reduced, similar to what already applies to the delta variant. According to the RKI recommendation, anyone who has had contact with a person infected with this variant and has been vaccinated or recovered does not have to be in quarantine.
Unvaccinated or not recovered people could also be released from quarantine after five days with a negative PCR test – and after seven days with a negative rapid test result. These deadlines could apply to those infected with booster vaccinations.
It is also unclear whether the relief should only apply to critical infrastructure facilities and, if so, which ones. For example, there is concern that undetected infections in people with booster vaccinations can become a problem if they infected vulnerable people in nursing homes or hospitals.
The background to this is the fear of massive staff shortages, especially in the critical infrastructure. “The quarantine regulations must now be adapted as quickly as possible so that security of supply can be guaranteed at all times in the Omikron wave,” said the Federal Association of German Employers’ Associations (BDA). “A shortened quarantine must be possible, especially for asymptomatic infected people and contact persons, if our infrastructure is otherwise at risk.”
The number of cases increases sharply
The fear of staff absences is not unfounded. In Great Britain, several clinics had to declare a disaster due to the rapidly increasing number of illnesses. At least six hospital foundations, some of which include several clinics, have decided to take this step. Hospitals declare a disaster when those responsible are of the opinion that they can no longer guarantee necessary treatments.
In Great Britain, the Omikron variant already accounts for the majority of all infections. The number of cases is also increasing sharply in Germany. The RKI reported 58,912 new cases on Wednesday. That is 18,869 more than on Wednesday a week ago, when 40,043 positive tests were registered. However, the RKI still points out that the figures are less meaningful because of the holidays.
The nationwide seven-day incidence rose significantly to 258.6 from 239.9 the previous day. The value indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have been infected with the corona virus in the past seven days. 346 other people died from the virus.
The number of infections is still well below those in other countries. But Lauterbach expects a drastic increase in Germany over the next few days. In France, on Tuesday, 271,686 new infections were registered, in Great Britain 218,724. In the US, according to Reuters calculations, almost a million new corona cases were reported in one day on Tuesday.
In Germany, an increase can currently be observed, particularly in the northwest. Bremen has the highest value among the federal states with 575.8. However, the seven-day incidence is also skyrocketing in Schleswig-Holstein to 352.8, where the incidence has been particularly low in the past few months. In both federal states, the vaccination rate is also above average.
With agency material.
More: Shortened quarantine: The federal and state governments are waiting for a recommendation from the Robert Koch Institute