Friday December 31, 2021
“Don’t overdo it”
Lauterbach sends self-deprecating New Year’s greetings
In 2021, too, the New Year celebrations will have to be smaller than usual due to the pandemic. Health Minister Lauterbach wishes a “happy new year” anyway. He also asks for caution in a humorous way.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach caused amusement with a self-deprecating post on social media. The SPD politician wished a “nice last evening in 2021” on Twitter and Instagram. He added a photomontage to his words, in which he looked through a window into the interior of a house. The words “Don’t overdo it. I see you” are put in his mouth.
“I found that on the net. It’s not entirely wrong,” writes Lauterbach about the picture, before calling for “one last time to be careful”. Celebrations should only be held in “very small groups”. Those who have corona symptoms should “watch TV alone”. The post garnered thousands of likes on Instagram and Twitter after just a few minutes.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, larger New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany are also canceled this year. Clubs and discos have been closed since December 28th. That day also kicked Contact restrictions for private meetings in force. Vaccinated and convalescent people are only allowed to meet a maximum of ten people. If people take part in a meeting who have not been vaccinated or have recovered, stricter rules apply: only your own household may meet with two other people from another household. Children up to the age of 14 do not count.
In addition, no New Year’s Eve fireworks may be sold in 2021. In individual areas, the municipalities can also impose a complete ban on firecrackers. According to the federal government, the aim of the regulation is to prevent a large number of serious injuries on New Year’s Eve so as not to put additional strain on the clinics that have been heavily burdened by the pandemic.