Friday, December 03, 2021
Bartsch in the “ntv early start”
Statements from the STIKO boss “somewhat crazy”
Dietmar Bartsch shares some of yesterday’s decisions by the federal and state governments. But this would come far too late. The left-wing parliamentary group chairman expresses sharp criticism of STIKO boss Mertens.
Dietmar Bartsch, co-group leader of the Left in the German Bundestag, has sharply criticized the corona management of the future traffic light government. “As for Corona, I’m really very disappointed,” said Bartsch in the ntv early start.
Bartsch said that he partially endorsed yesterday’s resolutions of the Prime Minister’s Conference, but they came way too late: “It’s December, the election was in September. It is irresponsible that there was this long idle period.” In addition, the left-wing politician asked himself whether the future health minister of the SPD had even participated in the meeting between the federal and state governments on Thursday: “It wouldn’t have been bad if she was supposed to be in office from Wednesday. I see some problems.”
Bartsch went on to say: “I just hope that we can learn from this false start with the corona policy and that we will now finally see stringent action.” At the FDP, which a few weeks ago had said that all measures could be dropped in March, Bartsch spoke of a “steep learning curve”. Further: “You can also say: At the beginning she was in election campaign mode, now you have learned something new.”
“I’m not a fan of mandatory vaccinations”
Bartsch described a possible vaccination requirement in the Bundestag as “correct”. However, not all possibilities have yet been exhausted to promote vaccination progress: “I would now be in favor of enforcing a vaccination law that you can really get vaccinated. Because some want appointments and get some in January and February.”
When asked whether Bartsch would vote for compulsory vaccination, the left-wing parliamentary group leader said that he would first take a very close look at what the applications were. He is “not a friend of the compulsory vaccination”, but: “If you do that to such an extent that the pressure is increased, then I can also imagine agreeing to a corresponding application.”
“I think that’s a bit crazy”
Bartsch clearly criticized the head of the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), Thomas Mertens. Mertens had told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” that, in view of the lack of data, he would currently not have his own seven-year-old child vaccinated against the corona virus.
Bartsch said: “I find it somewhat crazy when the head of the vaccination committee who recommends the vaccination then says that he would not recommend it to a child. That is a contradiction that can hardly be clarified.”
This contributed to the uncertainty, said Bartsch and added that this was “inappropriate”: “The vaccination commission has a special responsibility, which has been clearly disavowed with this statement.”
Mertens had also said that the STIKO was in the process of finalizing the vaccination recommendation for children, and that it could be expected around December 11th. “It will surely be ready before the children’s vaccine is available in Germany.”