Live blog
Status: 08/15/2021 02:32 a.m.
Several countries – including the USA and Israel – are now considered to be corona high-risk areas. Pediatricians criticize the STIKO. Significantly more self-employed have applied for basic security. All developments in the live blog.
02:32 am
Significantly more self-employed people need basic security
According to the Federal Employment Agency (BA), the number of self-employed people who receive financial support from the state basic security for their livelihoods has increased six-fold in the course of the corona pandemic. “We are seeing a clear corona effect between April 2020 and July 2021,” said BA boss Detlef Scheele to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Around 134,000 self-employed have registered a need for basic security during that time. “Usually it would have been around 22,000 during this period,” said Scheele.
02:32 am
Pediatricians: STIKO should also take psychosocial consequences into account
The German paediatricians have appealed to the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) to also take into account the psychosocial problems of this age group in the debate about a general corona vaccination recommendation for twelve to 17 year olds. “The STIKO is based solely on the individual benefit of a vaccination in relation to the danger of an illness,” said the President of the German Society for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Thomas Fischbach, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “This does not take into account collateral damage in the psychosocial development of children and adolescents.” These should also be taken into account.
According to Fischbach, around one million of the 4.5 million children and adolescents in the age group from twelve to 17 years have been vaccinated so far. According to information from the Funke newspapers, a revised STIKO recommendation for corona vaccinations for young people aged 12 and over is expected in the middle of the week.
02:32 am
Schwesig rules out another lockdown
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig has ruled out another lockdown in the corona pandemic. “Everything that is open must remain open,” she told “Bild am Sonntag”. She is confident “that we can get through the autumn and winter well with vaccinations and tests”.
In order for Germany to survive a fourth wave well, the country needs more vaccinations. Schwesig is therefore planning a new vaccination campaign in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and is demanding greater commitment from Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn. The Prime Minister warned against putting unvaccinated people under pressure: “We shouldn’t threaten people, we should convince them with arguments.”
02:32 am
USA and Israel now high risk area
Due to the increasing number of corona infections, the USA is now a high-risk area in Germany. As of today, those arriving from the United States who have not been vaccinated or have recovered must be quarantined for five to ten days. The same regulation now also applies to Israel, Kenya, Montenegro, Vietnam and two French overseas territories. Portugal, on the other hand, is removed from the risk list, with the exception of the Algarve, which is particularly popular with tourists, and the capital Lisbon.
Fully vaccinated and recovered travelers from high-risk areas are exempt from the quarantine obligation. All others have to isolate themselves after entering the country and can only get rid of it after five days with a negative test. Countries and regions with a particularly high risk of infection are classified as high-risk areas. In the meantime, however, it is no longer just the infection numbers that are decisive. Other criteria are the speed at which the virus is spreading, the burden on the health system or a lack of data on the corona situation. From Tuesday on, Turkey will also be classified as a high-risk area.