According to the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), the federal government is planning a mandatory test for everyone who enters Germany from August 1st. “The federal government has assured us today that it will try everything by August 1st with a uniform test requirement not only for air travel, but also, for example, for everything that comes on a normal car route or train route,” said Söder in the “Tagesthemen” of the ARD. He thinks that is now more understandable, clearer and safer. The originally planned date for an entry regulation from September 11th would have been “a joke”, said Söder, “because the vacation is over even in the countries with late vacation”.
In the afternoon, the Federal Government had said that a tightening of the Corona travel requirements was in the vote. Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) in particular resisted stricter rules for reasons of proportionality, it said.
The countries had put pressure on because they needed a reliable basis for entry, said Söder in the evening. In the afternoon he was told that a legal basis would be created so that implementation would work on August 1st. “The rule is relatively simple, everyone needs a test that arrives again, so to speak, whether he comes by car, train or plane.” Currently, the test only applies to people who travel to Germany by plane.
SPD leader Saskia Esken supports the introduction of mandatory testing at short notice: “I am absolutely in favor of us taking a closer look at travelers,” she said on RTL / ntv. “It can be seen very clearly that traveling abroad involves risks.” Returnees might bring the Delta or other variants with them. SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil said on ZDF that his party wanted travel to be safer. “That means expanding the obligation to test.” But that must be legally clean and proportionate. “We are definitely ready to take this step.”
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) had the picture-The newspaper said that those who have been proven to be vaccinated or have recovered do not have to prove a negative test result. Seehofer and Söder said that the controls in individual traffic should be carried out on a point-by-point basis. No one wants stationary border controls and no one does, said Söder. (07/27/2021)
Half of the people in Germany are fully vaccinated against Corona
A good seven months after the start of the corona vaccinations, half of the population in Germany is fully vaccinated against the virus. How out current data from the Federal Ministry of Health shows, after the vaccinations from the previous day, 41,790,697 people have complete vaccination protection, for which two doses several weeks apart are required for most vaccines. According to the ministry, this corresponds to 50.2 percent of the total population. (07/28/2021)
RKI: Incidence should remain the most important criterion
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the seven-day incidence should remain the decisive value for assessing the incidence of infection. This emerges from a paper that RKI boss Lothar Wieler presented on Monday at a switching conference with the heads of the state chancelleries. “Incidence is the leading indicator for infection dynamics (high incidences have numerous effects),” says the paper that is available to the German Press Agency. The seven-day incidence remains important in order to assess the situation in Germany and to initiate control measures at an early stage. According to information from picture-Zeitung, there should have been major discussions in the magazine because many countries want to abandon incidence as the most important criterion.
Regarding the current situation, the paper says that the incidences have increased again for about three weeks, the proportion of hospitalizations for about two weeks. “The fourth wave has started.” High vaccination rates alone were not enough to keep the fourth wave flat, it said. Additional “basic protection measures” are necessary to flatten the fourth wave so that the number of patients in hospitals does not become too high. The number of contacts would have to be reduced and mobility restricted. (07/28/2021)
RKI registers 2768 new corona infections – incidence at 15
The seven-day incidence in Germany has been increasing for three weeks. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), it is currently 15.0 – on Tuesday the value was 14.5. The health authorities in Germany reported 2768 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. A week ago, the value for Germany was 2203 infections. Across Germany, according to the information, 21 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, a week ago there were 19. (07/28/2021)
Country leaders and the Chancellor will discuss further measures on August 10th
The prime ministers want to discuss further corona measures on August 10 – earlier than planned. This was announced by the Chairman of the Conference of Prime Ministers (MPK) and Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller (SPD). Shortly before, in view of the increasing number of infections, Müller had stated that the corridor would become narrower in which the current development could still be effectively counteracted. He and other heads of government had called for swift action and prompt advice from the prime ministers. This will now take place on the Tuesday after next in the usual form with Chancellor Angela Merkel as a video switching conference, it said. The next MPK was originally planned for the end of August. (07/27/2021)
Association: Only allow vaccinated people to attend major events
In Germany, the question of which freedoms vaccinated and convalescent should be given in the future continues to be debated. Big events only for them – that is the only way for the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) to get back to economic normalcy. “In the area of major events and concerts, there is only this route from the end of September at the latest, when everyone has received a vaccination offer,” says BDKV President Jens Michow. The staff and the artists would of course have to be vaccinated for such events. The alternative – events still only with distance requirements, mask requirements and a limited number of visitors – is not economically feasible, according to Michow.
Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), meanwhile, reminds restaurants of the possibility of opening them only to vaccinated people. “The freedom of contract enables private providers such as restaurateurs to design their offers largely freely,” she told the Funke media group. “Anyone who wants to offer their guests special protection can therefore also make offers that are only aimed at those who have been vaccinated.” At the same time, she spoke out again against compulsory vaccination. “There will be no compulsory vaccination.” Getting vaccinated is better than testing for the coronavirus: “A test is only a snapshot and does not contain any protective immunization. Vaccination is therefore the order of the day.”
Patient representatives are alarmed by the debate about a possible vaccination requirement, which has been growing since the weekend. Eugen Brysch, board member of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, said the Rheinische Postthat it is extremely dangerous to ponder it publicly. “Rather, it is important to convince the skeptics with arguments. The core of such a debate must be self-protection against Corona.” Brysch accused the federal government of shying away from this debate: “In doing so, it is leaving the field to the opponents of vaccinations and conspiracy theorists. This is exactly what is happening in France. Nobody in this country can have an interest in enforcing mandatory vaccination with the police.” (07/27/2021)
NRW tightens corona rules
As a result of increasing corona infection rates, stricter infection protection measures will again apply in North Rhine-Westphalia from this Monday. The state incidence level then moves from 0 to 1. It applies if the number of new infections within seven days is more than 10 but less than 35, based on 100,000 inhabitants. This automatically means stricter restrictions with supra-regional significance – also for districts and urban districts that are locally in level 0.
State incidence level 1 means, among other things: general mask requirement indoors, i.e. not only in medical practices, buses and trains, but also again, for example, in restaurants, museums, zoos and church services. For the retail trade, the space limitation of one customer for every ten square meters returns. Folk festivals and rifle festivals, conferences with more than 1000 participants as well as the operation of discos and clubs indoors are prohibited until August 27th.
According to an overview by the State Ministry of Health, Düsseldorf will probably jump to level 2 on Tuesday. The transition from level 1 to 2 takes effect if a city or a district exceeds the limit of 35 on three consecutive days, on the day after that. This entails even stricter requirements with regard to contact restrictions, test and distance obligations. Solingen will even be the first municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia to reach the highest level 3 (seven-day incidence from 50) on Monday. (07/26/2021)