Chancellor Scholz and federal states want partial lockdown from December 28th

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz was received in a festive manner on Monday in Rome in front of the Palazzo Chigi, the official residence of the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Both are experienced crisis managers. As head of the ECB, “Super Mario” once saved the euro with a financial policy bazooka. As finance minister, Scholz adopted this phrase when he announced unlimited corona financial aid for threatened companies.

As heads of government, Scholz and Draghi are now noticing that money alone may alleviate the economic consequences of the pandemic – but the virus can only be pushed back permanently through successful vaccination and consistent compliance with the corona protection rules. Shortly before Christmas, concerns about an uncontrollable wave of omicrons depresses the mood in Rome, London, The Hague and Berlin. There Scholz will lead a crisis video summit with the Prime Minister on Tuesday afternoon. While Scholz was in Rome, his Chancellery Minister Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD) prepared the decisions together with the federal states on the basis of the recommendations of the new crisis team. There should be tougher rules – for the unvaccinated and the vaccinated. This emerges from the draft resolution submitted to our editorial team.

What are the federal and state governments planning to contain Omikron?

In order to brake the new shaft with the Omikron variant, further restrictions on the contacts are provided. “In particular, New Year’s Eve celebrations with a large number of people are not justifiable in the current situation,” says the draft. Therefore, after Christmas from December 28th, private get-togethers for vaccinated and convalescents should only be allowed with a maximum of 10 people. This limit applies to private indoor and outdoor meetings. Children up to 14 years are excluded. As soon as an unvaccinated person takes part in a celebration, the contact restrictions for unvaccinated persons apply: The meeting is then limited to one’s own household and a maximum of two people from another household. The federal and state governments call on all citizens to test themselves as a precaution before meeting on the Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve. This also applies to vaccinated people and “especially to meeting older people”.

Is there a tough lockdown coming like in the Netherlands?

It doesn’t look like that. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expects the number of cases to rise significantly from January onwards due to the omicron mutation. Schools could remain open, however, and restaurants, too. Chancellor Scholz recently emphasized several times that there are no red lines in the fight against the pandemic. Under pressure from the SPD, the additional contact restrictions for vaccinated and convalescent people will only come into force after the Christmas holidays. “We do not want to put the invitations that have been issued for Christmas aside,” said party leader Saskia Esken.

Are clubs and discos allowed to stay open?

Probably not. “Indoor clubs and discos (” dance fun “) will be closed,” says the draft resolution. However, discussions were still ongoing. Anyone who hopes to escape relatives for a few hours on the holidays and relax on the dance floor with friends will be disappointed.

Will the ban on firecrackers persist?

Yes. The sale of pyrotechnics before New Year’s Eve is generally prohibited this year. “Igniting New Year’s Eve fireworks is generally strongly discouraged, also against the background of the high risk of injury and the already enormous burden on the health system,” appeal the federal and state governments.

What about concerts and Bundesliga games?

There was still no sign of agreement. However, there are likely to be further restrictions for national sports, cultural and comparable major events. “For events in closed rooms, only 30 to 50 percent of the capacity may be used up to a maximum total of [X] Spectators ”, can be read in the draft. Similar specifications are planned for open air. Without 2G or 2G plus, nothing will take place anymore. In countries with a high incidence of infections, the cancellation of events and sporting events without spectators (“ghost games”) is under discussion.

Scholz and the federal states ask doctors and pharmacies to vaccinate at high pressure even on public holidays: “The vaccination campaign should continue over Christmas, on the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Eve. Scholz wants to achieve 30 million vaccinations by the end of the year (especially boosters) – by Monday 26.2 million had been made.

Are there any threats of system failures in Germany if experts have to be quarantined en masse because of Omikron?

The new expert council in the Chancellery warns of precisely this. With Omikron, sharply increasing numbers of infections and their consequences could reach such an extent that the critical infrastructure (hospitals, police, fire brigade, emergency services, telecommunications, electricity and water supply) are restricted. The Federal Ministry of the Interior called on all authorities on Monday to put their pandemic plans to the test. At the Federal Police, however, just under 800 of the 50,000 employees are currently in quarantine. In the Bundeswehr the vaccination quota is over 90 percent, in the Federal Police over 80 percent are vaccinated.

What do the Prime Ministers say?

CSU boss Markus Söder criticized the corona management of the new Scholz government. The latest signals from the traffic light coalition are contradicting: “My impression is that the traffic light is not yet in the correct corona rhythm and corona mode.” Germany must come before the corona wave. It was an “incredibly serious mistake” of the traffic light not to prolong the epidemic situation. In the meantime, the Infection Protection Act has been tightened again. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) told our editorial team: “Nobody has to sit under the Christmas tree alone for Christmas. But we need the common signal that even more caution is required. “