Despite the partial lockdown, the number of new corona infections is not falling. Now Chancellor Merkel wants an agreement on additional measures before Christmas. Previously, some country leaders had already called for stricter rules.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is aiming for an agreement on further measures to combat the corona pandemic before Christmas. At the meeting of the Union parliamentary group, according to participants, Merkel spoke of a “very difficult situation”.
With the current measures, the country “will not get through the winter”, she is quoted by the AFP news agency, citing participants. You can’t get any further with the principle of hope.
Merkel complained that “too much is being talked about” mulled wine stands “and too little about nurses”. However, she praised additional measures for corona hotspots in some federal states.
Do shops have to close again?
Chancellery chief Helge Braun had previously pleaded for a renewed meeting of Merkel and the 16 prime ministers before Christmas. “If we manage to unanimously decide on tightening before Christmas, we’ll be there,” said the CDU politician of “Bild”. He called for new measures in schools, a discussion about retail and an equalization in local public transport.
After the planned relaxation of the corona rules around Christmas, the Federal Chancellery plans to tighten the measures considerably from December 27, according to a report by the “Bild” newspaper. Accordingly, all shops in Germany should close by at least January 3rd – with a few exceptions, such as the food retail trade.
“Sloppy handling of corona requirements”
There were also calls from the federal states for another top meeting. According to Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder, it is uncertain whether there will be a federal-state meeting before Christmas. This has not yet been decided, says the CSU boss on ZDF. He hoped for a round of prime ministers with the chancellor. But that only makes sense if you come to a clear, consensual decision on new measures.
Söder had previously said that he saw the sloppy handling of the corona requirements as a reason for the consistently high number of infections. “There has been a meander in some places,” said the Bavarian Prime Minister. For this reason, the second wave of infections is also the more insidious. “The current system is not enough,” said Söder in ARD morning magazine. “The numbers remain stable, there are new infections every day, the number of deaths is rising.”
Most recently, the corona measures were extended to January 10th. The next prime ministerial conference is actually planned for January 4th. Bavaria’s head of government sees the citizens of Germany as obliged to adhere more consistently to the guidelines. In order to get the infection numbers down again, a “change in mentality” is needed, said Söder. Everyone must be aware of how serious the situation is.
Claims from NRW and Saarland
The state governments of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland had pushed for a uniform approach and a quick new federal-state summit. “If the overall situation does not improve promptly, an even more restrictive approach appears necessary nationwide in order to reduce the number of new infections more clearly everywhere,” said NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann.
“The fact that countries with a nationwide additionally challenging infection process take further measures corresponds to the logic of the joint decision of the Prime Minister and the Federal Chancellor,” he explained. North Rhine-Westphalia continues to rely on the close collaboration between the federal and state governments.
The Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans demanded that the exceptions applicable to New Year’s Eve be withdrawn. “We must not take any risks now,” he told the “Spiegel”. The time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve should not be the driver of the infection process. It must be acted uniformly.
After Christmas, “everywhere in Germany the old, stricter Corona rules” should be returned, added Hans. Therefore, if possible, a new top-level discussion between the federal and state governments should take place in the coming week.
Jung for regional tightening
City Council President Burkhard Jung (SPD) had spoken out in favor of regional tightening. “If an incidence of over 200 or now in Saxony a total of over 300 has been reached, then it is imperative to do a stronger lockdown for a few more weeks,” said Jung im ARD morning magazine. Otherwise the infection situation cannot be brought under control.
He questioned the announced easing over the holidays. “We will have to talk in Germany as a whole about whether the planned easing for Christmas and New Year’s Eve are actually correct.”
40 percent more intensive care patients than in spring
The hospitals also called for the easing that had been announced to be withdrawn. The situation in many clinics is already stressful, said the head of the German Hospital Society (DKG), Gerald Gaß, the “Handelsblatt”.
“We have 40 percent more intensive care patients today than in spring, and unlike in spring this is not a short-term situation, but has been the case for weeks without us being able to see an end.”
Seven-day incidence rises to peak
On Monday night, the Robert Koch Institute reported 12,332 new corona infections within 24 hours. A week ago, more than 1,000 fewer new infections were found. The numbers are usually lower on Monday because there is less testing and less data being transmitted on the weekend. The so-called seven-day incidence rises to a maximum of 145.9.
The value indicates how many people are infected within seven days for every 100,000 inhabitants. This means that the value again moves away from the threshold value of 50 targeted by the federal and state governments. The value in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein, which recently saw falling numbers, has now risen above 50.
