Status: 11/18/2021 8:49 a.m.
At a high-level meeting this afternoon, the federal and state governments want to discuss a uniform course for the 2G and 3G rules. Among other things, it is still disputed where and from what threshold the regulations should apply.
In view of the worsening corona situation in Germany, the prime ministers of the federal states are discussing the next steps in the pandemic with the executive government. In particular, uniform 2G and 3G rules should be discussed.
The federal and state governments should clarify in which areas and under which conditions access should only be permitted for vaccinated and convalescent people (2G). The 2G plus variant, in which vaccinated and convalescent people also have to submit a negative test, should also be discussed.
In addition, it should be regulated from what number of hospital admissions additional corona measures should be taken. This emerges from a draft resolution for the meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 prime ministers, from which the Reuters news agency quotes.
Open questions about 2G and 3G rules
Among other things, it calls for a new appeal for vaccinations. The federal government should also promise to continue to provide financial support to the vaccination centers “and other vaccination options organized by the federal states until April 30, 2022”.
The 2G and 3G rules proposed by the traffic light parties are to be adopted. However, it is still unclear when and in what form they should take effect. The open questions include, for example, whether there are nationwide 2G rules and whether a 2G-plus rule should apply from certain thresholds for hospitalization. The 19-point paper summarizes the positions and disputed points of the countries.
However, the states, led by the Union, SPD, Greens and Left, agree that the federal government should help implement the 3G obligation in public transport. In the short term, an extension of the rescue package for public transport, which expires at the end of 2021, is to be negotiated, according to the paper. The federal government should also bear the costs for the citizen tests and again offer help from the Bundeswehr and the technical relief organization.
Regulations are currently very different
The regulations of the federal states are currently very different. In Bremen – the federal state with the lowest number of infections at the moment – the 2 and 3G regulations are currently based on warning levels. The lowest warning level 0 has been in effect there since the end of October due to the low number of infections. This means that the 3G rule in indoor areas is no longer applicable. Warning level 1 and thus also the 3G rule apply in the city of Bremerhaven, which is part of Bremen.
Saxony, on the other hand – a state with high numbers of infections – is the first to use the 2G rule comprehensively: only vaccinated and convalescent people are allowed in restaurants, pubs or discos, a negative test is not enough. In addition, the Free State wants to introduce the 2G rule in retail as well.
Virologist Drosten advocates a mix of measures
In view of the tense corona situation, the virologist Christian Drosten considers a mix of measures with the 2G rule, more booster vaccinations and contact restrictions for unvaccinated people to be sensible. “In order to keep our health system still functional and to be able to guarantee general medical care, our top priority must be to protect the unvaccinated against infection,” explained the head of the Charité Virology Department in Berlin.
The number of infections among the unvaccinated would have to be reduced quickly, as these people would have a much higher risk of being hospitalized if they were infected than those who had been vaccinated. Covid-19 is primarily a “disease of the unvaccinated”, he emphasized.
Spahn calls for a “wake-up call”
Since many measures to combat pandemics in the federal states have already been tightened and further steps are being decided in the Bundestag, today’s summit is also about a signal of unity. “A wake-up call is needed to wake up a pandemic-tired Germany a bit,” said Health Minister Jens Spahn. The past has shown that whenever there has been a uniform communication between the top representatives of politics, people have changed their behavior again, it said recently from his ministry.