The municipalities appeal to the federal and state governments to agree on measures in good time to prevent a lockdown in autumn. The FDP proposes to use the preparations for the federal election to expand the vaccination campaign. All developments in the live blog.
03:19 am
FDP: Use election preparations for vaccination campaign
The domestic political spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, suggests using the preparations for the general election to expand the vaccination campaign. “In the next few weeks, around 60 million eligible voters will be written to informing them of the election on September 26, 2021 and the postal vote that will take place beforehand,” he told the Funke media group. “The state should use this contact to invite the corona vaccination as well as to inform about the advantages of a vaccination and the nearest vaccination center.” In addition, the health insurance companies should integrate vaccination across the board in their bonus and premium models. According to the Robert Koch Institute on Saturday, 49.1 percent of people in Germany are fully vaccinated. 60.8 percent of the population received at least one vaccine dose.
1:10 a.m.
Municipalities demand: prevent corona lockdown in autumn
The municipalities appeal to the federal and state governments to prevent another corona lockdown in autumn. A lockdown would be devastating for the people, but also for the economy, said the chief executive of the Association of Cities and Towns, Gerd Landsberg, the newspapers of the Funke media group. Many citizens would hardly accept such a measure, he said. The federal and state governments would have to come to an agreement as soon as possible about which standards would apply when and where for further restrictions in the autumn.
“It is foreseeable that the incidence numbers will continue to rise,” said Landsberg. However, the course of the disease is less serious, since it tends to affect younger people in the first place. A new standard must be found. “He must take the incidence, but also the burden of the hospitals in view. That should be agreed nationwide between the states,” demanded Landsberg. “We have to avoid the restaurants in one country closing again because the incidence rises above 100 and in another country it already closes at 50 or only at 150.”
12:46 am
Chancellery Minister Braun: Vaccinated people will have more freedom
Chancellery Minister Helge Braun has called on people to have the corona vaccination and announced possible restrictions for unvaccinated people in autumn. There are two arguments in favor of the vaccination, the CDU politician told Bild am Sonntag. The vaccination protects 90 percent from severe corona disease. “And: those who have been vaccinated will definitely have more freedom than those who have not been vaccinated.”
As long as the vaccines against the Delta variant help so well, a classic lockdown is no longer necessary, said Braun. But if Germany got a high fourth wave, it would not be without effects. “In the event of a high infection rate despite test concepts, unvaccinated people would have to reduce their contacts,” he explained. “This can also mean that certain offers such as restaurant, cinema and stadium visits would no longer be possible even for those who have not been vaccinated because the residual risk is too high.”
When asked whether this would be legally permissible, Braun replied with a “yes”. “The state has a duty to protect the health of its citizens,” he said. “This includes a health system that does not have to postpone cancer and joint operations again in winter to treat corona patients. And that includes protecting those who are not vaccinated.” If the incidence increases as expected, it will also be very difficult to keep the infections out of schools. “That’s why it’s very clear to me: Parents, teachers, caretakers and school bus drivers have to get vaccinated. If these groups are all vaccinated, the risk for the children is lower.” In addition, the mask requirement must consistently apply in public buses and trains and in school lessons, where distance and ventilation are not sufficient.