Berlin The Bundestag has cleared the way for the new quarantine rules agreed between the federal and state governments in the corona pandemic. The regulation, which was approved on Thursday evening, creates, among other things, the legal framework for triple vaccinated contact persons of corona infected people no longer having to isolate themselves. In addition, shorter quarantine times are made possible in order to prevent the personnel collapse of important care areas in the event of a sharp increase in the number of infections.
Before the ordinance can come into force, the Federal Council still has to approve it on Friday. The rules will then be implemented in concrete terms by the individual federal states. This will implement agreements made at the Prime Ministers’ Conference last week.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) gave hope in the previous Bundestag debate that the pandemic would end. At the same time he campaigned for general vaccination. “In the long term, we will only be able to end the pandemic in Germany if the vast majority of people are vaccinated in such a way that severe courses are not expected, even with new variants of the corona virus,” said Lauterbach.
“Therefore, for me, the safest and fastest way out of the pandemic is the introduction of a general obligation to vaccinate in Germany.” It is medically and morally justifiable. There is an opportunity to end the pandemic through a combination of vaccination and Covid medication. “We should seize this opportunity,” said Lauterbach. “We are not only ending the sacrifices made by the many conscientious people, but also those of our children. We are ending avoidable suffering and a virus siege.”
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Those who have not been vaccinated in particular could be particularly at risk from the “swelling omicron wave,” said Lauterbach, with a view to the rapidly increasing number of infections. In particular, the booster vaccination would provide protection. “For anyone who wants a booster shot, this is available,” he said. It is possible that the “Omicron Wall” will become a “steep hill” in Germany, as in other countries.
Karl Lauterbach is pushing for a general vaccination requirement
Lauterbach said on Wednesday: “Anyone who has been boosted no longer has to be in quarantine as a contact person in the event of an infection.” This also applies to the omicron variant of the corona virus. Booster vaccinations therefore made double sense. “It makes everyday life easier. And it protects against infection or serious illness,” said the SPD politician.
The new rules at a glance:
- According to a draft by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), quarantine (contact persons) and isolation (infected) should based on a “seven-day rule”: You can end after seven days, if those affected “test themselves” with a PCR or rapid test. Without a test, they should last ten days in the future.
- The regulations should apply regardless of the type of virus. So far, quarantine and isolation can vary depending on the virus variant, vaccination and recovery status and are valid for up to 14 days. When it comes to Omikron, for example, there are no exceptions for vaccinated people.
- For employees in clinics, care facilities and facilities for people with disabilities, the isolation should also last seven days – but at the end it must be confirmed with a more precise negative PCR laboratory test. You also have to be symptom-free for 48 hours beforehand.
- For children in schools and daycare centers, the quarantine should last five days as a contact person, with a final PCR or rapid test.
The federal and state governments agreed on the new rules at their Corona summit last week. They are intended to prevent a shortage of staff, especially in critical facilities, when the number of infections is high.
The highly contagious omicron variant is driving the number of infections in Germany from record to record. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 81,417 new cases on Thursday, more than ever before. With a share of 73.3 percent, Omikron is now the predominant variant in the country.
The number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week rose to 427.7 the day before it was 407.5. In many places, the value is already approaching the 1000 mark. The virus is spreading rapidly, especially in large cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen.
The new quarantine rules are fueling concerns that the shortage of tests and the situation in the already busy laboratories could worsen. Michael Müller, chairman of the Association of Medical Laboratories, told the “Rheinische Post”: “The fact that one can soon be freed from quarantine will inevitably lead to additional work for the laboratories.”
The laboratories would now have to face the onslaught largely unprepared. So far there has been no forecast of how many more tests the laboratories would have to prepare for.
Breuer: Critical infrastructure has priority in tests
The head of the federal government’s Corona crisis team, Major General Carsten Breuer, told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”: “As with all scarce resources, we will certainly have to pool capacities where necessary. This also applies to tests. ”
As soon as things get tight somewhere, you have to prioritize. “Employees in critical infrastructure have priority,” he said. The aim, however, is to maintain the previous test regime for as long as possible. “We need the most accurate data possible to see how the wave is affecting us,” said Breuer.
The Ministry of Health did not want to comment. However, a spokesman pointed out that 1.4 million PCR tests were carried out last week and that the capacity in the laboratories this week was 2.6 million.
The situation is particularly clear in the hotspots with many infections such as Berlin, where the seven-day incidence on Thursday morning was 918.6.
Health Senator Ulrike Gote is already observing a shortage of PCR tests at the state test centers in Berlin. There are already long waiting times, and in some places there is not enough capacity.
With agency material.
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