District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) has issued a ban on gathering in public places for New Year’s Eve. He also advocates extended Christmas holidays and subsequent distance learning if the omicron variant of the coronavirus should result in a sharp increase in the number of infections. In his weekly Corona press conference, the district administrator said on Thursday: “I’m afraid the infection rate will be as fast as the experts assumed.” Should the assumption of an imminent fifth wave occur, school closings should be a possibility, according to Göbel, as also brought into play by Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP). In view of the Omikron variant, a dynamic infection process must be expected, especially among children and adolescents, according to the district administrator.
In Göbel’s view, this also applies to childcare facilities. In this area, however, closings are not to be expected; especially not with a nationwide setting of the company, as this would completely lay the “professional life” flat. Rather, there should be more testing, and the Free State recently created the prerequisites for this with the announcement that it would finance PCR tests in day-care centers.
The number of suspected Omikron cases has increased from six to 54 in one week
Meanwhile, the number of infections in the district is falling even further – also in schools and daycare centers. Currently (as of Thursday) 272 people are infected there, 207 fewer than a week ago. A total of 615 contact persons are in quarantine. The number of cases continues to decrease in the care facilities in the district. 31 residents of old people’s and nursing homes are currently infected, 55 fewer than seven days ago; there are also 32 affected employees. The number of suspected cases with the Omikron variant rose from six to 54 within seven days. However, no case has been confirmed yet, as the so-called genome sequencing in the laboratories can take up to two weeks, according to the head of the health department, Gerhard Schmid. According to Göbel, however, the hospitalization rate is developing positively. Currently, only one patient suffering from Covid-19 is in inpatient treatment.
For the holidays and the period up to the New Year, the district administrator sees the district as well positioned in terms of procurement and stocks of vaccines. According to Göbel, 13,000 cans from the manufacturer Biontech are currently in stock for pregnant women and people under 30 years of age, as well as for children’s vaccinations; In addition, there would be 44,000 doses of the Moderna preparation, which is primarily used for fresheners. So far, around 1400 immunizations have been carried out on children in the district. Göbel calls on parents to take advantage of these offers, which, like normal vaccinations, are also continued over the holidays. All vaccination offers for children can be found on the homepage of the District Office (www.landkreis-muenchen.de) in the area of consumer protection.
District Administrator Göbel has also issued a general order for New Year’s Eve, which goes beyond the resolutions of the traffic light coalition. From December 31 at 3 p.m. to January 1 at 9 a.m., gatherings of more than ten people in “public squares” in the district are prohibited. This is to prevent several groups of ten permitted people from meeting at seats.