Status: 03.11.2022 18:59
Should a corona infection continue to be seen as a special disease? Are rules such as the obligation to wear masks on buses and trains still up to date? Among other things, numerous experts spoke about this on Thursday in the Kiel State House.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Kiel virologist Helmut Fickenscher has been advising the SH state government on Corona.
The experts who spoke to the social committee of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament on Thursday are in favor of further reducing corona protection measures. According to the Kiel virologist Helmut Fickenscher, there are hardly any people in the country who have not been vaccinated against Corona or have not yet been infected. So he assumes that most citizens in SH have already built up some protection against the virus. His advice: The few corona measures that still exist should be further reduced. For example, the virologist no longer sees any reason for a mask requirement in public transport. Even in retirement and nursing homes, residents should no longer have to wear a mask when they come out of their rooms. According to Fickenscher, this is not compatible with the living situation of the people.
Streeck: Isolation doesn’t always make sense
His virologist colleague Hendrik Streeck from Bonn said he no longer thought it made sense for people to go into isolation if they tested positive for Corona. According to Streeck, anyone who has no symptoms can also go to work – possibly with an FFP2 mask.
Rupp: Medical undersupply in other areas
“Focusing on Sars is more dangerous than useful,” said Professor Jan Rupp, Director of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital in Lübeck. The main problem is no longer Covid, but medical undersupply in other areas. Covid is now one infection among others. Rupp spoke out in favor of bringing responsible rules and symptoms to the fore instead of an obligation to isolate.
AUDIO: Corona winter: SH state parliament interviews experts (1 min)
Jauch-Chara: Return to normality necessary
The director of the clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy at the University Hospital in Kiel, Professor Kamila Jauch-Chara, also called for a return to normality for adults, children and adolescents. “We have to take personal responsibility,” she said. Jauch-Chara referred to a sharp increase in stress-related illnesses. In the pandemic, the number of suicide attempts by children and young people has tripled, during the lockdown period and afterwards.
Raven: Need normal operation
“We need normal operations again to be able to work again,” said the medical director of the Großhansdorf lung clinic, Professor Klaus Rabe. This is an economic and structural problem. It must also be mentally classified that Sars-CoV-2 is one of several viral diseases. The hospitals are under extreme pressure, emergency rooms are extremely full.
CDU remains cautious, FDP and SSW call for rethinking
The state government is currently advising what a state-wide solution could look like, explained the Minister for Justice and Health, Kerstin von der Decken (CDU). She wants to stick to the mask requirement on buses and trains. Ex-Health Minister Heiner Garg (FDP) increasingly considers focusing on Sars to be counterproductive and thus agrees with the opinion of the experts. “With this scientific assessment, the state government can now abolish the obligation to isolate with a clear conscience and also make progress nationwide,” said Garg. Christian Dirschauer from the SSW also criticized that despite the high vaccination rate and mild courses, people would continue to be kept in a state of psychological alarm due to test, mask and isolation requirements. “It’s also possible without hysteria and exaggerated restrictions.”
The first round of hearings on Thursday initially dealt with medical aspects of the current pandemic situation. In the third part of the hearing, MPs and experts will deal with the legal aspects of corona measures and their effects on society and schools.
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