D.he heads of government of the 16 German federal states hadn’t even switched on their video cameras when the decisions that they hadn’t even made flew back to their ears. In a Twitter post, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a federal authority, called on the Prime Ministers and the Federal Chancellor to take much tougher measures to combat the Omikron variant of the coronavirus than was provided for in the resolution proposal of the Prime Minister’s Conference.
Instead of restricting contacts between vaccinated and convalescents in a dosed manner and only for the period after the Christmas break, as planned by the Federal Chancellery and the state chancelleries of the federal states, the institute called on politicians in its tweet to “maximum contact restrictions” and “maximum infection preventive measures” that “should start immediately”. In a strategy paper published at the same time “to cope with the beginning pandemic wave through the Sars-CoV-2 variant Omikron”, the RKI lists 15 measures that are “immediately implemented (ie implemented and also controlled).”
These measures should include: a general mask requirement and continuous wear, also for vaccinated and convalescent persons, indoors for two or more people and outdoors wherever the distance rules cannot be observed; a ban on sports indoors; the closure of the entire catering trade; a ban on singing indoors, except in one’s own household; the extension of the Christmas holidays; the return of universities to distance operations.
In addition, the measures that the Prime Minister had already planned in their draft resolution, such as new contact restrictions, a maximum of ten people, including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. That would be more or less a new lockdown – only retail and hotels should be able to continue their business.
Displeasure with Wieler’s advance
The RKI justified its advance with a “wave of infections of previously unobserved dynamics”, which was to be expected with the increasing spread of the Omikron variant. If this dynamic could not be slowed down significantly, “due to the high number of cases expected in a short period of time, an overload of the health care structures in Germany can be expected”. Even the critical supply structures – for example transport and production chains, energy, police, fire brigade – could not be reliably maintained in this case.
Scholz presents new corona measures – people who have been vaccinated are also affected
In view of the expected rapid spread of the Omikron variant of the coronavirus, new restrictions will be placed on people in Germany. Now vaccinated people should also limit their contacts over the holidays, albeit less severely than unvaccinated people.
Olaf Scholz, who is even more subdued in the role of the highest corona discipline master and more appealing for understanding among the citizens than his predecessor Angela Merkel, was not impressed by the RKI’s last-minute alarm. On the contrary. Both the Chancellor and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) reprimanded RKI boss Lothar Wieler for the institute’s unsettled advance and meticulously adhered to the template that the Chancellery and the state chancelleries of the federal states had already worked out on Monday. Point by point ticked off the round relatively noiselessly.
Scholz reported after the Prime Minister’s Conference that the recommendations of the Federal Government’s new Expert Council were based on last Sunday. And then presented the restrictions that Germans will have to face “by December 28 at the latest”, that is two days after Christmas.
Most important innovation: For the first time since the start of the vaccination campaign, there will be contact restrictions for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. Until further notice, you are only allowed to meet a maximum of nine other people privately, not including children under 14 years of age. For unvaccinated people, the stricter rule remains even after the turn of the year. You can meet with a maximum of two people who do not belong to your household.
Clubs closed, ghost games in the Bundesliga
The other resolutions also remained within the scope of what was previously expected. Clubs and discos must close nationwide. The Bundesliga will have to start the second half of the season with “ghost games”. The operators of the so-called “critical infrastructure” – police, fire brigade, hospitals, rescue services, electricity and water suppliers – should update their pandemic plans and thus prepare for the dreaded omicron wave of the pandemic. This is to avoid that too many staff are absent at these important service companies at once due to illness or quarantine orders.
Following the video conference of the heads of government, Scholz emphasized that the decision had been made consciously not to start the measures until after Christmas. In the past, people in the country would have behaved responsibly on these holidays. Christmas and Easter would not have turned out to be pandemic drivers. With a view to the current situation, he spoke of a “strange interim”. The corona measures against the fourth wave worked. But now the “wave five” threatens with Omikron.
For some prime ministers, however, the resolutions do not go far enough. During the meeting, the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) called for a nationwide Christmas lockdown and, together with his colleague Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), subsequently criticized the resolutions of the federal-state summit as “not largely enough”.
Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher announced at noon that all the resolutions of the prime ministers in the Hanseatic city would apply from Christmas Eve. In addition, he imposed a curfew that begins at 11 p.m. Restaurants and pubs are only allowed to open until 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also puts the new corona rules into effect on Christmas Eve.
Söder complains about “fumbling around”
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and his Baden-Württemberg colleague Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) urgently called for the federal government to restore the epidemic emergency of national importance even before the meeting with the Federal Chancellor began. No regional measures are needed, but a nationally standardized framework to combat the Omikron variant efficiently and sustainably. Only the restoration of the epidemic emergency gives the opportunity to quickly decide on the necessary steps in case of doubt. “Everything else is such a mess,” says Söder.
More surprising than the advance of Bavaria on this memorable Tuesday was a decision by the Standing Vaccination Commission (StiKo). She corrected her previous recommendation and shortened the period between the second vaccination and the “booster” vaccination from six to three months.
According to the Federal Chancellor, the vaccination campaign will also continue over the holidays. There is much to suggest that the goal of 30 million booster vaccinations will be achieved by the end of the year. Another 30 million should be added by the end of January. Much earlier, on January 7th, the Prime Ministers will meet the Federal Chancellor again. Corona will continue to occupy the republic in 2022.