the Federal authorities should review existing pandemic plans. Such plans have been in force for many months, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin on Monday – but now it can be expected that the number of coronavirus infections caused by the Omikron variant will increase significantly. “That is why all authorities must now examine for themselves which additional measures must be taken so that the functionality of the respective authorities is maintained even under these conditions.”
At the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police, for which the Interior Ministry is responsible, more than 90 and more than 80 percent of the employees were vaccinated, respectively, the spokesman said. Employees who had not been vaccinated by the employer but privately, for example by the family doctor, were not even included. The operational capability of the Bundeswehr is currently “absolutely guaranteed”. Last Friday, 791 of around 50,000 employees in the federal police force were in quarantine.
The Federal Government’s Expert Council warned on Sunday that the health system would be overloaded, as the number of corona infections could rise sharply due to the Omikron variant. The experts also stated that there are “high risks” for the so-called critical infrastructure, including hospitals, police, fire brigade, emergency services or electricity and water supplies. What additional precautions should be taken should now be reassessed in the light of the opinion, said the spokesman.