Unvaccinated people in Baden-Württemberg will be largely excluded from participating in public life from Wednesday. As Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) announced, the country will reach the so-called alert level due to the worsening situation in the intensive care units. Only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered will then have access to restaurants, museums and most other public events.
If the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units exceeds the critical value of 390 on the second working day in a row, the so-called corona alert level automatically comes into force in the southwest. In this case, the Corona Ordinance provides for the 2-G rule nationwide, for example in restaurants and museums, at exhibitions and in most other public events. Anyone who is not vaccinated and can only show one test is left out in the cinema, in the swimming pool or in the fitness studio, in adult education courses and music schools. Schoolchildren have to wear masks again in class.
There are also exceptions, for example for public transport and religious events. Even in retail, the 3G alert does not require a PCR test. Basic supply shops such as supermarkets and outdoor markets and pick-up and delivery offers are also excluded. For the night in a hotel, however, unvaccinated persons have to present a PCR test. Even at the hairdresser or in the nail salon, the alarm level 3G with a PCR test is mandatory.
The contact restrictions for unvaccinated people will also be tightened. In future, meetings will only be allowed for one household and one additional person. This does not apply to people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Children and young people up to the age of 17 are also not counted. (11/16/2021)
Restaurants, bars and clubs in Hamburg will in future be taboo for unvaccinated people
Because of the rapidly increasing corona cases in Hamburg, unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to enter restaurants, bars and clubs from Saturday. The red-green Senate canceled the 3-G model in a number of areas and instead made the 2G model mandatory. With the 2-G model, only vaccinated and convalescents may be admitted, with the 3-G model also unvaccinated, provided they have a negative corona test. (11/16/2021)
RKI reports new maximum incidence value
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) registered 32 048 new positive tests in 24 hours. That is 10,216 cases more than on Tuesday a week ago. The seven-day incidence rose to a high of 312.4 from 303.0 the previous day. 265 other people died related to the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 97,980 within 24 hours. In total, more than five million corona tests have so far been positive in Germany.
The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days – the most important parameter for a possible tightening of the corona restrictions – the RKI stated on Monday as 4.65. With the indicator it must be taken into account that hospital admissions are sometimes reported with delay. A nationwide threshold value from when the situation can be viewed critically is not provided for the incidence of hospitalization, among other things because of large regional differences. The previous high was around 15.5 around Christmas 2020. (11/16/2021)
Scholz supports the debate about compulsory corona vaccination in nursing homes
SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz supports a debate about compulsory corona vaccination for certain professional groups such as those working in nursing homes. “I think it is right that we have now started a discussion about whether this should be done,” said the executive vice chancellor at the economic summit Süddeutsche Zeitung. To speak about it alone is a clear statement – the SPD, Greens and FDP deliberately opened this debate.
Scholz said at the same time that compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups is only possible if “many want to participate”. A consensus is necessary for this. “When that is achieved, I think that’s a good thing,” he said. Such a decision could also be made at short notice. The Greens had also announced that possible future government partners wanted to talk about compulsory vaccination for employees in nursing homes, for example.
The deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Michael Theurer was also open. “The fact is: We have now agreed on extensive measures – the home office obligation, the 3-G rule in buses and trains and also at work,” said Theurer in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin” https://www.sueddeutsche.de/ politik /. “And personally, for example, I can also imagine compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups. (…) But we are still talking about this point today.”
Vaccination could not only be compulsory in medical or nursing professions, but also in the armed forces. Defense politicians of the possible traffic light coalition spoke out in favor of this. “From my point of view, the corona vaccination should be made mandatory in the basic immunization for soldiers,” said the SPD defense politician Siemtje Möller of the German press agency. “Especially in this critical situation of the pandemic, in which the Bundeswehr is increasingly being asked for official assistance, our soldiers can be sent quickly and safely to where help is most needed.” A representative of the Greens made a similar statement. The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann spoke out in favor of introducing the corona vaccination for civilian employees as well. (11/16/2021)
Federal states are calling for longer bridging aid
In view of the increasing incidence figures in Germany, the federal states are demanding an extension of the Corona bridging aid III Plus beyond the end of the year by a large majority. That is the result of a query among the state economics ministries and senate administrations, which the chairman of the conference of economics ministers, Andreas Pinkwart (FDP), carried out.
Bridging aid III Plus, a central crisis instrument of the federal government, is currently limited to the end of 2021. The bridging aid is given to companies with a corona-related drop in sales of at least 30 percent. Fixed operating costs are reimbursed.
“With the exception of Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein, all the other federal states have spoken out in favor of an extension,” said the NRW Economics Minister, summarizing the result in a letter to the Executive Minister of Economics, Peter Altmaier (CDU). Pinkwart spoke out in favor of extending the aid until March 2022. At the same time, the federal states expressed the “urgent request” to “appropriately extend” the deadline for the final settlement of the Corona aid in order to relieve the burden on the approval authorities. Altmaier himself had spoken out in favor of it last week. (11/16/2021)
Rush to free corona tests
According to the association, pharmacies are also experiencing a rush of corona citizen tests from those who have been completely vaccinated. “Since free citizen tests have been possible again since Saturday, people have been storming the test centers in pharmacies,” said Thomas Preis, head of the North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association Rheinische Post. “There were always smaller queues in front of individual test sites.” On Saturday alone, more than three times as many tests were carried out as on the Saturday of the previous week, he said.
“According to our findings, most of the visitors to the test sites have already been vaccinated twice. With a citizen test they want to ensure more safety for themselves, their families and friends,” explained Preis. In addition, more and more meetings are taking place under a 2-G plus rule.
In order to contain the fourth corona wave, people in Germany have been able to have themselves tested for the virus again free of charge since Saturday. In addition to pharmacies, there are also other providers. In an ordinance of the NRW Ministry of Health, it says that every citizen can be examined “at least once a week” free of charge in a test center for an infection with the coronavirus. The offer applies regardless of whether you have been vaccinated or recovered. In the past few weeks, people have had to pay for such tests. (11/16/2021)
GEW union rejects compulsory vaccination for certain occupational groups
The education and science union opposes compulsory corona vaccination for individual professional groups. “The only way out of the pandemic is through a high vaccination quota in the entire population and appropriate behavior to protect yourself and others,” said GEW chairman Maike Finnern to the editorial network Germany (RND). But she said at the same time: “The GEW rejects compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups.”
Constitutional lawyer Christian Pestalozza, on the other hand, called vaccination compulsory in certain cases. Pestalozza told the RND with reference to the “fundamental right to health”: “If the small aid measures to combat the pandemic are not enough,” politicians are even constitutionally obliged to take stricter measures such as mandatory vaccination. And if a job-related compulsory vaccination is not sufficient, even a general compulsory vaccination is permissible. (11/16/2021)