Criticism of “threat scenarios”
Union accuses Lauterbach of scaremongering
2/10/2022 1:24 am
Federal Health Minister Lauterbach warns: Relaxation at the peak of the omicron wave would mean hundreds more deaths every day. But he gets headwind, not only from the opposition. FDP Vice Kubicki announces the end of all measures for March 20th.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has met with sharp criticism from the opposition and coalition partner FDP with his warning of significantly more deaths if the corona restrictions are relaxed too early. Hamburg’s CDU leader Christoph Ploß accused the SPD politician in the “Bild” newspaper of “becoming a minister of fear”. The parliamentary director of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei, told the “Bild” that Lauterbach was causing uncertainty with “always new ideas and guidelines”.
Lauterbach had warned on Tuesday evening in the ZDF “heute journal” with reference to opening steps at the peak of the omicron wave as in Israel, in Germany there would then be 400 to 500 deaths a day instead of 100 to 150 at the moment. Israel’s approach is “very risky” and not a model for Germany. “I warn that we open too early,” stressed the minister.
The legal policy spokesman for the Union faction, Günter Krings, accused Lauterbach of exchanging the justification for protective measures. “In essence, it can only be about protecting the health system from being overloaded and thereby ensuring the care of all of us in the event of illness. The exchange of state action goals seems interest-driven and arbitrary,” Krings told the “Welt”. The member of the Ethics Council, Stephan Rixen, told ZDFheute.de that “threat scenarios in the dark could not justify restrictions on fundamental rights”.
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki told the “Bild”: “I think it is remarkable if the constitutionally justified goal of the corona measures is suddenly postponed – at the moment when the health system is no longer threatened to be overloaded.” The FDP politician predicted that the corona measures should expire by March 20 at the latest, because then there would no longer be a majority in the Bundestag for an extension.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr told the “Bild” with a view to the next prime ministers’ conference on Wednesday next week that the first thing to do where masks are worn consistently is to abolish the 2G plus, 2G and 3G rules, in retail and in Hotels. In addition, the collection of contact data must be deleted. Third, contact restrictions for vaccinated people should be relaxed at private meetings. “The MPK must take the first steps back to more freedom,” demanded Dürr.