Even two years after the start of the pandemic, the virus eludes all forecasts and even short-term predictions. Just four weeks ago, Gerald Gass, President of the German Hospital Society (DKG), welcomed the gradual relaxation of the corona measures decided by the federal government. After all, “the numbers made it clear that we have also passed the peak of the omicron wave”. At the start of the hospital summit in Berlin, the DKG issued a statement that sounds far less optimistic: German hospitals “continue to work in a state of emergency,” it says. “The hope for a certain relief and routine operations is just disappearing into thin air.”
With the hope of an end to the Corona measures, it doesn’t seem to be much different. In many federal states, the number of cases has been rising steeply for days and is reaching peak values. As before in the pandemic, the recent turnaround is leading to a jumble of answers to the big question of which reaction would make sense: loosen anyway? Or keep the previous requirements?
Practically all state governments will extend the previous measures
The federal government had actually chosen March 20th as the day of freedom. However, the Infection Protection Act, in which this date is stipulated, allows a two-week transition period. During this time, the previous measures can continue if the federal states so wish. It looks like practically all state governments will use this deadline until April 2nd and for the time being give up complete freedom. Once again, the federal patchwork quilt is being rolled out. The measures differ from one federal state to the next, but at least the patterns are similar.
According to the federal ordinance, the mask requirement should continue to apply in hospitals, nursing homes, buses and trains. Baden-Württemberg has also planned to keep them in schools. Neighboring Bavaria wants to exclude elementary and special schools – although the seven-day incidence in six to eleven year olds has risen to well over 3000. Rhineland-Palatinate is also planning to only prescribe masks in class at secondary schools. From North Rhine-Westphalia it is said that the Ministry of Education is still checking whether this obligation should fall from next Monday.
In Hesse, the 3-G rule for restaurant visits should apply beyond March 20, as well as in Bavaria. In addition, only those who have been vaccinated or those who have recovered have access to cultural or sporting events. If you want to visit clubs or discotheques, you also need a negative corona test. In Lower Saxony, on the other hand, there is no difference to the rest of the gastronomy. This means that even in clubs, everyone who is sitting or eating can take off their masks. A face mask only has to be worn when getting up – and when dancing.
In addition, tests are still compulsory in many federal states, especially in schools. Brandenburg, for example, provides for tests at three-day intervals for schoolchildren. Berlin also wants to continue testing in the schools, but from the beginning of April the mask requirement should fall. The Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey also announced that there would generally no longer be any free citizen tests. With the new Infection Protection Act, the previous test regulation will expire. Many test sites that are currently supported by the federal government can therefore no longer be maintained.
There are also voices in favor of easing the number of cases at a record high
The new law will also no longer give the states the opportunity to limit the number of visitors to major events. Sold-out football stadiums are therefore possible again in April. In Brandenburg, however, the government is considering only allowing visitors who have been vaccinated or recovered. In Berlin, on the other hand, there should no longer be any restrictions on mass events.
Across countries, there is helplessness in view of the decreed easing. A Berlin medical officer expressed his surprise in the “RBB-Abendschau” that the pandemic was now “declared to be over by decree”, although the figures show a different reality. The stringency of the measures was “finally lost”. The state government of Lower Saxony also expressed its dissatisfaction with the draft of the new Infection Protection Act. The measures anchored there are “not sufficient” to contain the pandemic, “more prophylactic, preventive options” are necessary. Nevertheless, the government announced that it would vote in favor of the draft in the Bundesrat next Friday. Otherwise there would be no possibility at all to issue corona rules, explained a spokeswoman.
While the FDP in particular is pushing ahead with the easing at the federal level, this cannot be located so precisely at the state level. The CDU in Baden-Württemberg, for example, spoke out vehemently in favor of compulsory masks in schools. “We consider this to be absolutely necessary in view of the violent incidence of infection that we have in Germany and Baden-Württemberg,” said Deputy Prime Minister Thomas Strobl. In Brandenburg, on the other hand, the Christian Democrats are calling for this obligation to be abolished.
There are also voices that generally support easing the number of cases at a record high. Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, said that citizens should be able to rely on political commitments. The health system is currently not in danger of being overloaded. That’s why Gassen thinks: “As a society, we must finally learn to live with Corona without politicians shutting down public life every few months.”
“Worrying”: The number of infections is rising, and the number of corona patients in intensive care units has been increasing again for a few days.
(Photo: Daniel Vogl/picture alliance/dpa)
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach argues similarly, even if he calls the current figures “worrying”. He has asked the federal states to make use of the transition period until April 2nd and, if necessary, also of the hotspot rule. This is one of the few tools that the federal states will have if the new Infection Protection Act comes into force as planned. Further restrictions are therefore possible in regions with particularly high incidences and overloaded clinics. But an exact limit is not defined in the law. From Lower Saxony it was said that things would become critical if the number of new admissions to hospitals due to Corona rose to 20 per 100,000 inhabitants a week. Most recently, the hospitalization index there was 13.8.
In Bavaria, where the incidence has just passed 2000, the government is considering declaring the whole country a hotspot. However, there are still no signs that other federal states will follow this example. Mayor Giffey, for example, explained that the hotspot regulation is currently out of the question for Berlin and that it is subject to strict conditions. “For this, there would have to be a serious infection situation with a greater overload of the critical infrastructure.” When she said that on Tuesday, the seven-day incidence in the German capital was 871.8.