Belgium will allow nightclubs to reopen from next Friday. In addition, pubs are allowed to remain open longer and the number of guests per table is no longer limited. Concerts with a standing audience are also permitted. In addition, the obligation to wear masks in elementary schools will be abolished.
Relaxation will also take effect in Luxembourg from this Friday. The 3G rule applies again in gastronomy, and the 2G Plus rule (vaccinated or recovered plus booster or test) is also being replaced by 3G in hotels and in the areas of leisure and sport. In addition, the curfew at 11 p.m. in the gastro area is no longer applicable – discotheques and clubs are allowed to open again. There are no longer any contact restrictions in private and contact persons of infected people no longer have to be in quarantine. (02/11/2022)
Scholz is promising the first easing
The federal government sees Germany at a turning point in the current omicron wave and is promising that the corona restrictions will soon be relaxed. “The scientific forecasts show us that the peak of the wave is in sight,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Bundesrat. “This allows us to take a first step towards opening up at the federal-state meeting next week and then look at more for spring.”
The Federal Ministry of Health also sees the omicron wave flattening out, but does not want to give the all-clear. One agrees with the assessment of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) that the peak of the omicron wave has not yet been reached, said a spokesman for the ministry. He pointed out that the seven-day incidence is falling in some federal states, but continues to rise in others.
On Friday, the RKI reported a lower number of new infections compared to the previous week. At the same time, the experts from the federal authority warned in their weekly report: “The peak of the fifth wave has not yet been reached.”
When he talks to the prime ministers of the federal states next Wednesday about easing, the advice of the scientists will be listened to, said Scholz, so as not to jeopardize previous successes in fighting the pandemic. “At the same time, we will be vigilant and prepared in the event that the number of infected people increases significantly again,” said Scholz. The healthcare system has so far withstood the crisis despite the great strain on doctors and clinic staff. So the corona measures that were decided on worked. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said on Thursday that it was clear that easing would also have to be discussed next week. But one should not “loosen up too quickly”. (02/11/2022)
MPs present draft legislation for compulsory vaccination
The proposals for a general corona vaccination are taking concrete form. Several groups of members of the Bundestag have already presented drafts. A draft by seven members of parliament from the SPD, Greens and FDP for a “law on education, advice and vaccination of all adults” is about compulsory vaccination for all people over the age of 18.
Accordingly, the health insurance companies should initially contact all adults personally by May 15, 2022 and provide information about counseling and vaccination options. From October 1st, all adults residing or habitually staying in Germany must have proof of three vaccinations or have recovered and present it to the authorities or the health insurance company on request.
Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and women at the beginning of pregnancy should be exempt. The law is to be limited until December 31, 2023, and its effectiveness will be reviewed every three months until then.
According to the plans of the traffic light coalition, the Bundestag should decide on a possible regulation in a free vote without parliamentary group specifications. The Union faction proposes a “vaccination mechanism” that is graduated according to groups of people. This should only take effect when the situation in Germany worsens, how tagesschau.de reported. According to this, three stages should apply: In a first step, all people from the age of 60 should be vaccinated, the second stage refers to everyone who is 50 years of age or older. The third level includes employees in critical infrastructure as well as employees in day-care centers, schools and the police.
The criteria for when the vaccination mechanism should be activated are unclear. The details are still to be formulated, the application speaks of the severity and transmissibility of a virus variant and immunity in the population. The vaccination mechanism should be activated by the Bundestag if necessary, similar to the determination of the epidemic situation of national importance. The MPs should then also clarify for which stages the mechanism should apply.
In its application, the Union requests information from tagesschau.de a vaccination register for implementation. The CDU and CSU are not committed to possible sanctions. Although a penalty should be due, the Union does not write how high it is.
There is also an initiative by a group led by FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki against a general obligation to vaccinate. Another group led by FDP politician Andrew Ullmann is working on a proposal for a “middle ground”: with a counseling session for all adult unvaccinated people. And if after a certain time the necessary vaccination rate is not achieved, there is an obligation to provide proof of vaccination from the age of 50.
Some time ago, the Bundestag decided that from mid-March onwards, vaccinations should be compulsory for employees in the care and health sector. In summary proceedings, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe refused to suspend the regulations for the time being. The decision on the constitutionality in the actual procedure is still pending. (02/11/2022)
Incidence rises to peak of 1472
The health authorities in Germany have reported more than 240,000 new infections in one day to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). That’s slightly fewer cases than were registered on Friday a week ago. The nationwide seven-day incidence was given by the RKI with a new high of 1472. 226 people died in connection with the virus.
However, these figures are only of limited significance. Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data. Test capacities and health authorities are at the limit in many places, contacts are only traced to a limited extent. That is why the SZ Corona Dashboard shows an average value from the reports of the past seven days, which is intended to compensate for fluctuations from day to day. You can find more information on this in the transparency blog, further data and graphics on the pandemic here. (02/11/2022)
According to the RKI, omicron subtype BA.2 continues to increase – but slowly
The BA.2 subtype of the omicron variant, which can be transmitted even more quickly according to initial findings, is spreading further in Germany according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) – albeit initially at a low level. For the week ending January 30, the RKI reports a share of 8.1 percent in its weekly report – compared to around five percent a week earlier. ‘In terms of clinical characteristics, there is currently no evidence that BA.2 infections differ from BA.1 infections,’ the report states. In Germany, the omicron subtype BA.1 continues to dominate.
At the same time, the RKI experts warn: “The peak of the fifth wave has not yet been reached.” According to the RKI, the highest seven-day incidences were still recorded in children between the ages of five and 14. But even in the older age groups, the seven-day incidences have recently increased again significantly.
According to RKI estimates, there were 420,000 doctor visits in Germany within seven days because of Covid-19. As can be seen from the RKI publication, the number of corresponding doctor visits increased significantly in the past week compared to the previous week. She has been doing this since the turn of the year – and in almost all age groups the values of previous corona waves are significantly exceeded. According to the RKI, 2398 patients who tested positive for corona were treated in the intensive care units of the hospitals on Wednesday – a week earlier it had been 2307. (02/11/2022)
Green parliamentary group leader wants to extend the legal basis for corona measures
Green parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann is in favor of extending the legal basis for certain corona measures into spring. If easing in public life took effect, “they must be further supported by basic protective measures, such as wearing masks,” said Haßelmann of the editorial network Germany. “In our view, for this basic protection, we need a limited extension of the legal basis beyond March 19 and an opening perspective in stages.” The federal and state governments should discuss this at their meeting next Wednesday.
March 19 is the end date in the Infection Protection Act for regulations of the federal states that prescribe restrictions such as the obligation to wear masks, distance and contact requirements, hygiene concepts or the presentation of vaccination, convalescence or test certificates in order to be able to visit events or restaurants. The Bundestag could extend the validity once by three months. In November, the Bundestag set March 19 as the end date with the votes of the traffic light groups, i.e. the SPD, Greens and FDP.
Of course, preparations would have to be made now for the time when the number of infections fell and the situation eased, said Haßelmann. “The federal and state governments will therefore have to agree on a careful, gradual opening.” But caution is still required. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities also advocates maintaining basic measures for the time being. “There is much to be said for maintaining the distance requirements and the obligation to wear masks for reasons of caution until it is certain that the wave will actually subside and not build up again,” said managing director Gerd Landsberg to the RND. However, the other restrictions should expire “if the infection situation actually allows it”. (02/11/2022)