Berlin Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) caused widespread outrage with his plan not to implement compulsory vaccination for nursing staff. There will be “the most generous transitional regulations”, which “de facto initially amounts to a suspension of enforcement,” said the CSU boss on Monday after a video link by the party executive in Munich. “For how many months will we see then,” he added – at least for some time at least, “to make the whole thing reasonable”.
In principle, Söder again pleaded for a general corona vaccination obligation – he very much hopes that there will be a “wise decision” here. On the other hand, he is now critical of the obligation to vaccinate only for employees in the medical and nursing sector: “The institution-related obligation to vaccinate, which is to come on March 15, is no longer an effective means of accompanying or dampening or stopping the current omicron wave. “
From mid-March, employees in clinics or care will have to prove that they have been vaccinated against Corona or have recovered. If the proof is not provided when requested, the health authorities can issue bans on activities. Because of fears of complex individual decisions, the health authorities had warned that they could not adequately control the vaccination requirement.
Greens and SPD sharply criticized Söder for his statements. The Bavarian government is thwarting the joint decision by the federal and state governments and the law that is broadly supported by the Union, said the health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Heike Baehrens, on Monday. The aim of the facility-related vaccination requirement is to protect particularly vulnerable people. “If the CSU suspends the obligation to vaccinate, it is evading its responsibility to ensure this protection. That sends a fatal signal.”
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The Greens also want to stick to the facility-related vaccination requirement. Green boss Ricarda Lang said that this should be implemented “quickly and punctually”. In contrast to a general obligation to vaccinate, this is not about relieving the burden on clinics and intensive care units, where a new regulation could possibly be considered if the situation there improved.
Countries are relaxing corona rules
The vaccination campaign in the pharmacies also started on Monday. The Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) informed the Handelsblatt that 500 of the approximately 18,500 pharmacies were there right from the start. “A large proportion of pharmacies are preparing to shoulder this task,” ABDA President Gabriele Regina Overwiening told Handelsblatt. “They are very busy with special tasks such as issuing the vaccination card and corona tests.” There are also staff shortages due to the highly contagious omicron variant.
Meanwhile, the number of federal states that want to relax the existing corona rules is increasing. The states of Berlin and Brandenburg want to abolish the 2G rule in retail, which currently only allows vaccinated and recovered people to shop in most stores. Instead, an obligation to wear an FFP2 mask should apply. This was announced by representatives of the state governments of both countries.
According to Prime Minister Söder, Bavaria also wants to relax a whole series of corona restrictions. In the future, restaurants should be allowed to open again without time limits, and the curfew – currently 10 p.m. – should be lifted.
Services close to the body, such as at hairdressers or in nail salons, should also be possible again in the future for visitors with a negative corona test. The 3G rule should apply here again, announced Söder. This means that people who have not been vaccinated or who have no proof of recovery can use the services again. The 2G rule still applies here.
In Bavaria, a test certificate should again suffice for services close to the body.
(Photo: dpa)
Hesse is already easing its corona restrictions from Monday and ending the 2G rule in retail, in Schleswig-Holstein this step is due on Wednesday. Baden-Württemberg is working on a relaxation plan for the corona restrictions, which could possibly take effect at the end of February.
In view of this, the pressure is growing to decide on uniform and specific easing at the federal-state meeting on February 16th. While neighboring countries like Denmark and France are opening up, Germany is still without an exit plan. At the same time, there are no signs of the healthcare system being overloaded, despite the continued increase in the number of cases.
The general manager of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, asked the Handelsblatt that a nationwide strategy should be launched that should take effect once the Omicron wave has peaked. However, caution is still required.
Landsberg added: “After some courts, for example in Lower Saxony, overturned the 2G rule in retail, it could make sense to initiate this as a first step towards easing it.” It is important that for “economy and people it is clear, plausible and nationwide it is determined what applies when, where and under what conditions”. This should “not be postponed any longer”. Of course, easing steps “can also be made dependent on the regionally different infection process”.
Don’t jeopardize success in the pandemic
The SPD parliamentary group leader Dagmar Schmidt was at least confident that “the prime ministers’ conference will develop concrete plans in the coming week,” she told the Handelsblatt.
>> Read here: Vaccination obligation – what Germany can learn from the pioneers Italy and Austria
At the same time, she warned against “recklessly jeopardizing success in the pandemic” by “risky openings”. “We expect the omicron wave to peak soon, after which we can relax.”
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the seven-day incidence rose to 1426 on Monday and thus to a new high. The health authorities also reported 95,267 new corona infections within one day. In federal states such as Berlin and Saarland, however, the seven-day incidence is also declining again.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), on the other hand, warned against premature easing. “We are before the peak of the wave. Loosening up the maximum number of cases now means: I’m pouring oil on the fire,” Lauterbach told the “Bild”. At the same time, he promised that “we will relax well before Easter”.
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