Thursday, December 02, 2021
2G, ghost games, mandatory vaccination
Countries are urging uniform measures
“No half measures” – that is what NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst demands from the federal-state summit. According to him, this includes uniform rules for major events. At the same time, he admits a breach of his word on the subject of mandatory vaccination – and this is still controversial.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst called for consistent decisions in the fight against the dramatically high Corona numbers before the Bund-Laender Round. “We are not allowed to do things by halves at the Prime Minister’s Conference today, we must resolutely break the fourth wave,” said the current chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK) of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “To do this, the countries need the tried and tested toolkit for fighting pandemics.” He is also grateful that the designated Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised to improve the Infection Protection Act again noticeably. “But that has to be done consistently now,” stressed Wüst.
Wüst also spoke out in favor of uniform nationwide regulations for major events. Even before the deliberations, there was widespread agreement that there must be a “significant reduction in viewers, for example at football matches,” he told ZDF. “Because it’s national leagues, it would also be wise if we got roughly the same results.” According to Wüst, a reduction in audience numbers by 50, 30 or 25 percent is being discussed. “I am in favor of us agreeing this as possible today so that it applies equally nationwide,” he emphasized.
In the “ntv Frühstart”, Wüst admitted a kind of breach of his word with a view to the changed attitude of politics to the compulsory vaccination. “It’ll be just that in the end. You can’t keep your word what you’ve given,” he said. The promises were made against the background that “it was believed that everyone would get vaccinated. That did not happen.” Wüst advocated a “broad discussion” on the subject. A “decision of conscience” and a corresponding vote on the compulsory vaccination in the German Bundestag are also correct.
Söder for compulsory vaccination from 12
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder wants to talk about compulsory vaccination for children from the age of twelve. “You have to discuss that,” said the CSU boss on Bayerischer Rundfunk. “In general, of course, it would be good if the compulsory vaccination would also take place at least for those who have already had the vaccine tested – from twelve onwards.” That would be quick and “make the schools absolutely safe”.
The heads of government of the federal states, together with the incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor Olaf Scholz, agreed in principle on Tuesday to tighten the corona measures. The details of these regulations are now to be decided at a further federal-state summit.
The proposals discussed by the Bund-Länder group include the introduction of extensive contact restrictions, especially for unvaccinated people, including at private get-togethers, the expansion of the 2G rules (i.e. for vaccinated and convalescent people) to retail and restrictions at major events. For regions with a high incidence, there are signs of club and discotheque closures.
In addition to facility-related vaccination requirements, a timely decision on general vaccination requirements should also be prepared. 30 million first, second and booster vaccinations are to be carried out by Christmas. Since the vaccination protection wears off after a certain time, a regulation is also being considered, according to which vaccinated persons lose their vaccination status after a certain time.
Criticism of mandatory vaccination and 2G
Bremen’s Prime Minister Andreas Bovenschulte spoke out in favor of clear, uniform national rules and a hotspot strategy. That is not a contradiction, said the SPD politician to the ZDF. Bovenschulte sees the heavily affected countries on the move when proposing further steps such as nationwide restaurant closings. “That is what the countries in which the situation is particularly difficult have to say,” said the mayor of Bremen. In his city the situation is less dramatic than in Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia, for example. Bremen also has the highest vaccination rate nationwide.
“What I have always spoken out against is a lockdown for those who have been vaccinated,” emphasized Bovenschulte. Vaccinated people became infected much less often and, if they did become ill, had a much milder course. The course taken with hard and clear rules for unvaccinated people is correct. “We have a lockdown for the unvaccinated, a very extensive one.” He was also in favor of a general compulsory vaccination for adults, but the design still meant “a lot of work in detail”.
A general compulsory vaccination remains controversial. FDP parliamentary group vice Michael Theurer spoke out against it in the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. There are also other views in the FDP parliamentary group. From the point of view of the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, children should be left out of compulsory vaccinations, as he emphasized at ntv. The head of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), Reiner Hoffmann, appeared in the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” to be open to a general vaccination requirement, but emphasized that opinions on this “in the population, but also in the unions” differed widely. Therefore, a broad social consensus is needed before it is introduced.
There is also criticism of other planned measures. The trade association Germany fears sales losses of up to 50 percent for the companies concerned due to 2G rules. “After the already exhausting lockdowns of the past few months, many cannot cope with that,” said managing director Stefan Genth of the Funke media group. Lauterbach defended 2G rules for public life in the “Rheinische Post”, including in retail. 2G plus should even apply to gastronomy, he demanded. Vaccinated and convalescent people would also need a negative corona test.