– December 9th – it just couldn’t be stopped. The federal government prefers the coming Corona summit: It will be a lightning meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, as it was only leaked on Monday afternoon. Does Germany have to tighten the measures once more? We reveal which items will be on the table.
Further high numbers of infections – now also the Omikron variant, which has meanwhile also arrived in Bavaria: The Chancellery is apparently forced to act and has invited the country leaders to a conference call for Tuesday under the direction of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Does the Federal Republic have to increase the measures once more? Yes – Karl Lauterbach explains on Monday evening. There will be appropriate proposals “this week,” the politician told the television station Phoenix. As the German press agency reported, there are the following areas that should be discussed at tomorrow’s Blitz meeting:
Special situation
What could be done quickly: the Bundestag could re-establish the “epidemic situation of national scope” that only expired on November 25th – with a simple decision. In one fell swoop, there would then be a legal basis for all previous crisis instruments. Formally, this could be done at the next regular week of meetings from December 6th – or at an earlier special meeting. Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Health Manfred Lucha urged the Deutschlandfunk already that the special situation would have to be reintroduced, and that a federal emergency brake as in spring 2021 should be imposed again – the politician continued.
German Infection Protection Act
In this way, a list of measures reduced by the traffic light groups could also be expanded regardless of the epidemic situation. So far, for example, closings of restaurants or shops as well as domestic travel restrictions in an entire state have been excluded. What would be necessary here: A legislative procedure in the Bundestag with the consent of the Bundesrat.
Federal-State framework
A prime ministerial conference with the federal government could quickly set further requirements. This could mean lower thresholds for additional requirements and restrictions in the case of high numbers of infections and hospital loads.
