“Insolence” – Sharp criticism of longer convalescent status in the Bundestag
“There shouldn’t be any special regulations in the Bundestag,” says FDP MP Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus
Source: dpa/Michael Kappeler
The RKI has reduced the recovered status for citizens from six to three months, but the old regulation still applies in Parliament. Union, FDP and AFD criticize this sharply – CSU regional group leader Dobrindt blames Health Minister Lauterbach.
PPoliticians from several parties have criticized the fact that different rules apply to members of the Bundestag regarding the status of those who have recovered than they do to the general public. Accordingly, the recovered status in the Bundestag remains valid for six months, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recently shortened it for citizens from six to three months. The duration of the validity of the recovered status in the Bundestag is regulated by a general decree by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD).
Clear criticism came from the ranks of the Union faction. “To be honest, I would find it strange if something different applied in the Bundestag than in Germany as a whole,” said First Parliamentary Secretary Thorsten Frei (CDU) on Tuesday. The question of how long the convalescent status is valid should be answered primarily medically. That’s why it affects members of the Bundestag just like others.
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt blamed Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). “It is outrageous to shorten the recovered status to three months in a technically questionable way, but to leave it at six months for the Bundestag,” said the CSU politician on Tuesday. “In doing so, Lauterbach did democracy a real disservice.”
FDP health expert Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus criticized the “image“-Zeitung: “There must be no special regulations in the Bundestag.” The general decree must be changed in the next few days if possible.
The constitutional law expert Christian Hillgruber from the University of Bonn spoke to the newspaper of an “unequal treatment” of citizens and politicians for which there was no justification: “Either the reduction of the convalescent status is necessary from a technical and health point of view or not, MP status or not.”
The AfD MP Stephan Brandner spoke on Tuesday in Berlin of an “extra sausage for MPs”. He also generally criticized the reduction in the validity of the convalescent status from six to three months by the RKI.
Kubicki defends longer convalescent status
A Bundestag spokesman justified the regulation in the Bundestag at the request of the AFP news agency by saying that the general decree issued for Parliament before the change by the RKI was still valid and, according to the current status, until the end of February. However, it is also continuously analyzed beforehand “whether changes to the general decree are announced”.
However, this only refers to the access rights to the plenum and committees. According to the spokesman, however, the normal occupational health and safety regulation applies to other activities in the Bundestag properties and thus the convalescent status is valid for three months. The 3G rule applies to visitors to the Bundestag building anyway.
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) spoke in the magazine “mirror’ opted to stick to the six months for MEPs in Parliament. However, Kubicki fundamentally opposed the reduction of the convalescent status by the RKI, which, in his words, “has not yet been adequately scientifically justified”.