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Offenbach: District Administrator Oliver Quilling: “Corona is far from over”

How has the corona pandemic gone in the Offenbach district so far? District Administrator Oliver Quilling (CDU) takes stock in an interview.

  • Offenbach’s district administrator Peter Quilling pulls one Interim balance on the course of the corona pandemic
  • in the Offenbach district there are currently 160 people on Corona virus fell ill
  • A strong one rise of new corona infections could be the circle at its Limits bring

Offenbach – District Administrator Peter Quilling (CDU) gives an interim assessment of the course of the corona pandemic in the Offenbach district.

How has it been in the Offenbach district so far?

So far our Health department thanks to the highly motivated employees, the Corona location is well under control. So far, we have them quickly Chains of infection identified, quarantined the contact persons and kept the daily contact. This is our main job.

Offenbach: Few violations of corona rules in the district

In addition, the health department has from the beginning Testing made, although it is not its primary task. Around 160 people are currently positive about Sars-CoV-2. A total of around 400 people – positives, contact persons and return travelers – are on the phone every day monitoring. Not all health authorities in Hesse work so intensively.

How was the acceptance of contact restrictions in the population?

Personally, we have largely met with acceptance. Even after the police reported the reports, all citizens, with a few exceptions, adhered to the contact restrictions.

However, we act consistently in the event of violations. 705 administrative fine proceedings have been initiated. At first glance, this may look like a lot, but you have to put it in relation to around 355,000 people who live in a circle.

How did the interaction between the district and district municipalities work?

We are in close contact. Regular conference calls have been taking place for eight weeks. At first, these were daily. After a little routine, we make calls several times a week.

Corona in Offenbach: Highest drop density in a nursing home in Mainhausen

In our view, coordination is necessary so that, for example, the rules in Langen are not interpreted differently than in Rodgau. Commandments and prohibitions should apply equally to all people, regardless of where they live.

Were there infection clusters in the Offenbach district? If yes: where and why?

So far, there have been no clear infection clusters in the district. In the first known cases, we recognized a clear connection with returning travelers from winter sports. But we also had cases that can be traced back to the carnival in Heinsberg.

As is known, we had the highest case density in a nursing home in Mainhausen. The virus was carried into the facility from the outside. This has often happened in nursing homes nationwide. For this reason, visits to retirement and care facilities in Hesse were generally strictly regulated.

Oliver Quilling (CDU) is district administrator of the Offenbach district.

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What is the state of the economy in the Offenbach district?

The economy has also suffered massively from the limitations of the past few weeks. This is particularly evident in the unemployment rate, which rose from 4.0 to 5.0 percent within a month.

Offenbach: District Administrator sees Corona as a burden for cities and municipalities

The economic development of the district and the municipalities supports entrepreneurs with the application for aid measures. We also advise on numerous questions relating to this particular situation.

What are the financial effects of the corona crisis on Offenbach and the municipalities, for example on trade tax?

Cities and municipalities are hit particularly hard by the slump in trade tax. For the district, this will break through in the coming years due to the retroactive calculation basis of the district levy. We are already seeing an increase in the number of cases for applications for social benefits.

How was the occupancy rate of the hospitals in the Offenbach district? Was the postponement of a predictable OR and total focus on Corona justified?

After the terrible pictures of overcrowded hospitals from European countries, the top priority in Germany was to create capacity in the hospitals. That was an absolutely right decision. Fortunately, there was no congestion in most hospitals, not even in the Offenbach district.

Offenbach’s District Administrator Quilling on Corona Measures: Not Exaggerated

In this special situation, precaution had to take precedence over profitability. I am not sure whether we would have mastered the situation so well so far if we had not taken the precautionary measures in all areas – and especially in the hospitals. Let us hope that the hospitals will not reach the capacity limit in the future, because the virus is far from being defeated. The perceived relaxed situation must not weigh us into false security.

In retrospect, would you have done anything differently with corona politics? Respectively, are there any criticisms or suggestions regarding the previously made regulations of the state and the federal government?

Since the corona pandemic has so far not had the dramatic effects in Germany as in other European countries or even in the USA, the decisions were obviously not so wrong. It would be a wrong conclusion to think that because the number of cases in Germany was lower, the precautionary measures, bans and precepts are exaggerated.

The early shutdown saved us from worse. For this worldwide pandemic, there were no prepared instructions that could be followed in textbooks. A retrospective view would be very presumptuous. Of course, in practice you notice that regulations and organizational processes have to be adjusted.

District Administrator sees Klinik in the Offenbach district as a “hidden champion” in the fight against the corona virus

This will continue to be necessary in the changing situation. Basically, with regard to the implementation of regulations, the ministerial administration has accomplished within a few days what is usually done in weeks or even months. Of course, not everything can be perfect right away.

How do you assess the new regulations?

The new regulations show the guiding principle: more responsibility in dealing with the crisis for the individual, less specific prohibitions and more normalcy. However, this still requires a high level of discipline from all of us with regard to hygiene rules and distance in dealing with one another. The following also applies here: We must not believe that the risk of infection has already been eliminated.

Have there been any district-specific features in connection with the corona pandemic?

With the Asklepios Klinik Langen, we have a so-called Level 1 hospital, which specializes in the treatment of Covid-19 patients who rely on particularly demanding artificial ventilation.

Corona “alarm values” for more stringent measures would be a new dimension in Offenbach

In the care area defined by the State of Hesse four – i.e. Frankfurt, Main-Kinzig, Hochtaunus, Main-Taunus as well as the city and district of Offenbach – the relatively small hospital looked after most of the patients. A large number of patients have never come from the district. The clinic location in Langen is a “hidden champion”.

What can the circle learn from the corona pandemic for further handling of corona and for future pandemics, but also in general with regard to general health care?

Future pandemics are not the issue for me yet. We are still in the middle of the current corona pandemic. The Federal Conference has defined a new “alarm value”: 50 newly infected people per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.

That would be 175 new cases per week in the Offenbach district. The highest number so far has been 103 new cases per week. We are currently around half. 175 new cases per week would be a dimension that we do not yet know in this size. This number of cases brings us to the limit of what would currently be affordable. That is why we are already thinking about how we could handle this situation. Corona is far from over!

The conversation was going on
Niels Britsch

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