Reactions to new rules: “Orders are not enough”

The new corona resolutions by the federal and state governments have met with reservations from representatives of cities and municipalities. There is particular criticism of the new restrictions on freedom of movement.

The corona measures newly decided by the federal and state governments have in some cases met with criticism and reservations from top representatives of the municipalities. The President of the German District Assembly, Reinhard Sager, told the newspapers of the Funke media group that he had doubts whether the restrictions on movement at Corona hotspots and the tightened contact bans “are not going too far.

School closings “very largely”

The measures would cause “large sections of the population, on whose participation we are dependent,” said the CDU politician. He also classified the ongoing closure of schools as “very largely”.

Sager criticized that the restrictions mainly affected rural areas, where two thirds of the population lived. In order to secure the cooperation of the population, the measures must be comprehensible, said the president of the district assembly to the “Handelsblatt”.

Doubts about the implementation

The German Association of Towns and Municipalities doubts the feasibility of the 15-kilometer rule. This regulation is “hardly controllable”, said the general manager of the association, Gerd Landsberg, of the “Rheinische Post”. It is also questionable whether this measure will “have an effect” due to the many exceptions, for example for commuters.

In general, however, Landsberg welcomed the federal-state resolutions. The extension of the hard lockdown until January 31st was “a right decision”, even if it was “hard” for the people and the economy.

The Marburger Bund doctors’ union also reacted positively to the tightened corona resolutions. “It is right to tighten the brakes further. The federal-state decision is therefore only consistent,” said the chairwoman, Susanne Johna, of the “Rheinische Post”. Wherever possible, people should avoid contact. “It is not enough to just provide measures – they have to be implemented,” said Johna.

Care for the children

Pediatrician President Thomas Fischbach also warned of the effects of school closings, especially on small children. “The younger the children are, the more important face-to-face teaching is. For children up to the age of ten, who have been shown to play no decisive role in the pandemic, daycare centers and schools must reopen as soon as possible, at least in places where the incidence values ​​do not apply, observing appropriate hygiene rules are in the deep red, “said Fischbach of the” Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung “.

Of course, exceptions would have to be made where the corona infection process is particularly dramatic, and then a mask would also have to be worn in primary school, admitted the President of the Professional Association of Pediatricians.

The federal and state governments yesterday agreed, among other things, to extend the lockdown rules originally agreed until January 10th until the end of the month as well as even stricter contact restrictions in the private sector. People in counties in which more than 200 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants were reported within seven days should also not be allowed to move more than 15 kilometers from their place of residence without good reason.