At a conference call, the Executive Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), her likely successor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the prime ministers of the federal states discussed the corona situation. Now a general compulsory vaccination is approaching. A decision to prepare for this measure should be made on Thursday, announced North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst. Then a new prime ministerial conference is to take place.
Scholz and several prime ministers spoke out in favor of the general compulsory vaccination. It should apply from February, Scholz said according to reports. The vote in the Bundestag should take place without group pressure.
In order to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible, pharmacists and dentists will also be allowed to participate in the vaccination campaign in addition to the vaccination centers and resident doctors, announced Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) after the talks. Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff also named veterinarians. The federal and state governments plan to make 30 million first, second and booster vaccinations possible by Christmas.
The top politicians are planning tougher measures such as additional contact restrictions for unvaccinated people to combat the corona pandemic. The introduction of a 2-G obligation in retail and a general mask requirement in schools could also come. Details should be worked out in the next few days.
In the negotiations, the SPD side apparently showed itself ready to tighten the recently amended Infection Protection Act again. The federal government should examine what needs to be supplemented so that the highly infection countries would also have an appropriate set of instruments available in the future. Even after December 15th, the measures should be possible.
The full football stadiums from last weekend were also an issue in the group of Merkel, Scholz and the Prime Minister. You don’t want to see that again this week, Scholz said according to reports. Söder announced that they had agreed, but had not yet taken a decision. However, he announced that there should be no spectators in the stadiums in Bavaria by the end of the year. Ghost games are also threatening nationwide. “One can assume that the Bundesliga will continue to play without spectators,” said Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU). That is the right decision. “(11/30/2021)
Habeck wants the course to be set immediately for general vaccination requirements
Greens boss Robert Habeck calls for the preparations for a general vaccination to begin immediately. “Of course, a compulsory vaccination would be a far-reaching interference with the freedom of the individual. But it protects life and ultimately also the freedom of society,” said Habeck of the German press agency. “In order to get the upper hand in the future and prevent a fifth wave, we must now prepare for a general vaccination requirement.”
A high vaccination rate is the best chance to prevent the health system from collapsing in the long term, to save human lives and to be able to return to a new normal in the long term, said Habeck, who will be sworn in as Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection of the new federal government next week target. “We must now set the course for this immediately.” (11/30/2021)
Demands for a new federal emergency brake, FDP warns
In response to the Karlsruhe resolutions on anti-corona measures, the executive head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun (CDU), is pushing for a nationwide emergency brake in the fight against the rampant fourth wave of pandemics. “We now need an emergency brake that works nationwide according to uniform rules that are comprehensible to citizens,” said Braun of the German press agency in Berlin. “The judgment makes it clear that binding nationwide action is possible in the Corona crisis. And I add: In the current, difficult situation it is also necessary.”
A continued overload of the health system could only be averted with a nationwide uniform approach, emphasized Braun. “I see the reference to the options for action in individual countries by some traffic light politicians as an escape from shared responsibility,” he criticized at the same time. The Federal Constitutional Court had previously decided that the federal government was allowed to impose exit and contact restrictions in the third wave of pandemics in spring via the so-called corona emergency brake.
The executive Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn said of the constitutional court ruling on the federal emergency brake: “The ruling creates clarity.” It should “offer orientation to the parties who have so far ruled out tougher measures due to legal concerns”. With regard to the infection situation, the CDU politician emphasizes: “We need resolute state action to break the fourth wave.”
The designated new Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) admitted that he would have wished for a different result. This is especially true with regard to the curfews. FDP vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki called the judgment “disappointing”. Domestic politician Konstantin Kuhle warned against an automatic mechanism for a new emergency brake: “The fact that the legislature was allowed to introduce exit restrictions in April 2021 does not mean that the legislature must introduce exit restrictions in December 2021,” wrote the FDP member of the Bundestag on Twitter. (11/30/2021)
Holiday reduction is legal with “zero short-time work”
Corona short-time workers with days off work must, according to a ruling by the Federal Labor Court, expect a proportionate reduction in their annual vacation. The highest German labor court in Erfurt ruled in the case of a saleswoman from North Rhine-Westphalia that this applies to “short-time work zero” with longer times without a duty to work. The Federal Labor Court thus issued a landmark judgment in the corona pandemic (9 AZR 225/11) in a “question that is highly controversial,” as the presiding judge Heinrich Kiel said. With zero short-time work, work is temporarily suspended completely.
Given the force of the fourth corona wave, the judge’s ruling could have an impact on tens of thousands of employees in Germany in the coming months. Legal experts spoke of a loophole in the Federal Vacation Act for short-time work that has now been closed.
The Federal Labor Court followed its line since 2019, according to which the amount of vacation leave should be based on the number of days agreed with compulsory work. It confirmed a ruling by the Düsseldorf Regional Labor Court on the action brought by the seller from Essen. The German Federation of Trade Unions had fought against vacation cuts for short-time work and supported the plaintiff. (11/30/2021)
Hamburg extends the 2-G rule to retail trade
From Saturday on, the retail trade in Hamburg will only be able to serve vaccinated and convalescent people. Unvaccinated people can only shop in shops for daily needs. The 2 G plus model will also apply in clubs in the future. Visitors then have to present a negative corona test in addition to their vaccination or recovery certificates.
“It will be mandatory to introduce 2 G in retail,” said Senate spokesman Marcel Schweitzer. In addition, the 2-G plus model applies to so-called dance pleasures. Schweitzer also announced new regulations for major events, depending on ongoing consultations with the federal government. Senator for Finance Andreas Dressel (SPD) assured the businessmen of support in view of the looming loss of sales: “The help will continue.” Nobody has to worry that they will be left alone in the fourth corona wave. (11/30/2021)
For the first time in three weeks, the incidence has fallen slightly
The nationwide seven-day incidence fell slightly for the first time in more than three weeks compared to the previous day. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week at 452.2. A high of 452.4 had been reached on Monday. A week ago the value was 399.8 (previous month: 153.7). The institute also reports 45 753 new corona infections. Exactly a week ago there were 45,326 infections. 388 deaths have to be added to the death statistics. The number of people who died with or with the involvement of a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 101,344. The RKI stated the number of those who had recovered as 4,893,300 on Tuesday. (11/30/2021)