RKI recommends “maximum contact restrictions” – Lauterbach and Scholz complain going it alone
WELT special broadcast on the Omikron crisis summit in the Chancellery
Shortly before Christmas, Omikron is forcing the federal and state governments to hold another corona crisis summit: Chancellor Scholz (SPD) and the prime ministers are discussing measures to counter a feared wave of infections from the new coronavirus variant.
Omikron is exacerbating the corona situation in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute is calling for drastic measures on its own. During the deliberations of Chancellor Scholz and the Prime Minister, the initiative met with criticism.
D.The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recommends the immediate implementation of a comprehensive package of measures due to an incipient wave of the Omikron variant of the coronavirus. According to an RKI tweet on Tuesday, the following should initially apply until mid-January: “maximum contact restrictions”, maximum measures to protect against infection, maximum speed when vaccinating and reducing travel to “what is absolutely necessary”. Intensive accompanying communication is required to understand the measures.
Read the original of the RKI paper here
In an accompanying strategy paper, the institute recommends, among other things, that the following steps be implemented immediately: ban on major events, closure of bars, clubs, discos, indoor sports facilities and restaurants (take-away sales possible). It also said that the Christmas holidays for daycare centers and schools should be extended. Then it should be checked whether classroom teaching or distance, hybrid or alternating teaching can take place afterwards.
“The 2G / 3G concepts should be sharpened taking into account the Omikron variant,” the RKI continued. Among other things, it says: “Access to shops for everyday needs and public transport with 3G”.
One must assume a “significant” transmission, including those who have recovered and who have been twice vaccinated. A “vaccination rate as high as possible” should be aimed for, writes the RKI. Vaccination offers should also be maintained over Christmas and New Year’s Eve. “The option for a further reduction in contacts, for example by restricting mobility, in regions with particularly high virus activity should be created”.
The step taken by the RKI comes as a surprise, since the Federal Government’s Expert Council did not publish a draft resolution for the federal-state summit on Tuesday afternoon until Monday.
Despite the dramatic appeal by the Robert Koch Institute on Tuesday, the federal and state governments want to stick to the course they took on Monday and impose new corona rules in a more dosed manner.
For information Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is said to have also expressed himself in this direction during the summit of “Bild” and “Spiegel”: The basis for the meeting are the assessments of the Federal Government’s Expert Council – and not those of the RKI.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also criticized the fact that the publication of the scientific findings was “not coordinated”. That shouldn’t happen. The Federal Government’s Expert Council is also binding for him, according to Lauterbach. The RKI’s approach also met with incomprehension from several Prime Ministers.
In an updated resolution (as of Tuesday 2 p.m.), which is available to WELT, the envisaged restriction of ten people for private gatherings remains.
Read the original resolution proposal here
A closure of all catering establishments, as requested by the RKI, is not provided for in this version of the draft resolution for the Prime Minister’s Conference with the Federal Chancellor this afternoon. There is also no talk of extended Christmas holidays, renewed hybrid lessons at schools or even school closings.
What is new is that the federal states are calling on the federal government to swiftly get the general compulsory vaccination in motion “and to submit a schedule at short notice”, as well as a reference to the new vaccine Novavax. The heads of government are hoping for a further increase in the vaccination rate from him.
Omikron will be predominant in January
The Omikron wave is still in its infancy in this country, writes the RKI. However, a look abroad shows “that this variant will result in a wave of infections that have not yet been observed dynamically”. Despite the remaining uncertainties, initial analyzes indicated that Omikron could account for the majority of cases of infection in Germany at the beginning of January 2022 – it could be tens of thousands every day. Under the current conditions, the doubling time in this country is around three days.
The number of new cases of the fourth wave due to the delta variant is declining, the RKI notes. Nevertheless, the hospital admissions and the utilization of the intensive care units are still at a very high level. “If the dynamics of the upcoming Omikron wave are not slowed down, the high number of cases expected in a short period of time means that the health care structures in Germany will be overburdened Transport and production chains, energy, police and fire services.
From the RKI’s point of view, the further course depends on the behavior of the population on the festive days and the unpredictable strength of the flu circulation as another pathogen with epidemic potential. “The greatest effects on the dynamics of the Omikron wave can be expected from consistent and comprehensive contact restrictions and the use of infection-preventive measures.” Maximum accelerated vaccination has a reinforcing effect with a delay of one to two weeks.