Debate about tougher lockdown: what tightening could come now?

Now it should go faster: next week, the federal and state governments will discuss the tightening of the lockdown in the near future. Which these are is currently still open. But possible steps are already emerging.

The situation of the corona pandemic in Germany is tense: The development of the number of infections and deaths is of great concern to the federal government. There is also the fear of corona mutations, such as those that have occurred in Great Britain. You are in a race against time, said Angela Merkel in deliberations with the CDU. "The virus can only be stopped with additional efforts," the Chancellor is said to have said there. The planned consultation with the Prime Minister is therefore brought forward from January 25th to next Tuesday. Everything points to an even tougher lockdown. But what could this mean and what further measures could still come now?

Public transport restrictions

For a short time the question arose as to whether local and long-distance traffic in Germany should be restricted. The government denies that. Buses and trains should continue to run despite the risk of infection, says government spokesman Steffen Seibert. It is about fewer contacts in local public transport. "What it does not mean is: to stop public transport," said Seibert. A complete shutdown of local transport "is silly," said Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier of the CDU. But he argued that more people should work at home. During the first lockdown in spring 2020, the utilization of local transport was lower.

Home office regulation

There is actually plenty of room for improvement in the home office regulations of the companies. Politicians have been criticizing for days that too little has been done here. SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach is now calling for home office to be compulsory. In the event of increasing numbers, even closings of companies and offices are possible, he said in the ntv program "Timeline". "So far we have been able to spare the factories," but that would no longer be possible with increasing death rates and an overload of intensive care units in hospitals, said the SPD politician. "We might even have to get close to industrial production."

Greens and leftists also called for stronger occupational safety and a binding home office regulation in the Bundestag on Wednesday. It could not be that daycare centers and schools remain closed, but people still have to go to the office, criticized the Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as well as trade unions and employers are calling for more work from home. It is said that "more can be done" here.

But the federal government apparently rejects that. Government spokesman Seibert says there is currently "no mandatory regulation on the agenda." Although he joins Steinmeier's appeal to expand home work, he also emphasizes: "Home office is not suitable for every profession, for every activity." At the same time, he admits that when the first lockdown occurred in the spring, the proportion of home offices was higher: "So it is possible."

Border closings

Not only virus mutations, but also the introduction of infections from neighboring countries are often made jointly responsible for the spread of the coronavirus. Stricter test obligations therefore already apply to entries into Germany from countries with high numbers of corona infections. Anyone who has been in a risk area should have to present a negative test no later than 48 hours after entry, according to an ordinance passed by Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) by the Federal Cabinet. In areas with particularly high numbers of infections or if new, more contagious virus variants are circulating there, the test result must be available before entry and it must be possible to present it to the airline. In general, there is an obligation to go into quarantine after returning.

There could still be border controls or even closings: If the mutation from Great Britain spreads further, one would have to talk about tightening, says Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig of the SPD. Saxony's head of government Michael Kretschmer from the CDU even goes one step further in his demands: It is "necessary that regions in which a high number of mutations have been detected are completely cordoned off and air traffic is no longer possible." This would particularly affect countries like Great Britain and Ireland. "It was a mistake that people went on vacation or to visit their families in the Balkans and Turkey in the summer and were only partially tested on their return," said Kretschmer. One must find a uniform regulation with the countries together with Europe.

Commuters from the Czech Republic or Poland have to be tested once a week from Monday. However, this is a deterioration: Up until now, two tests per week were necessary. According to Kretschmer, this is "no longer feasible". One must pay attention to the risk that commuters bring, but without nurses and doctors maintaining the health system is "not possible", said the CDU politician. Instead, one must concentrate heavily on the countries with mutations.

Curfews

There are still no uniform curfews in Germany. Nocturnal regulations such as those that have already been in force in Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg since December 12th would be conceivable. In Bavaria, residents are only allowed to leave the house between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for professional or medical reasons or to go for a walk. In Baden-Württemberg, the regulation applies from 8 p.m. In an interview with the weekly newspaper "Das Parlament", FDP health expert Andrew Ullmann doubts whether curfews will have the desired effect. In other European countries, curfews are sometimes even stricter. In France, for example, residents are only allowed to leave their homes for an hour during the day to go shopping or play sports.

However, it is unlikely that this will also happen in Germany – so far there have been no demands. Before there are such drastic curfews, other measures are being discussed that could be tightened. A temporary curfew would be conceivable if the number of infections does not continue to fall. Then people would only be allowed to leave the house for valid reasons.

FFP2 mask requirement

In Bavaria, the obligation to wear an FFP2 mask applies in retail and local transport from Monday. These are better than "holey scarves", said Prime Minister Markus Söder. Other country leaders currently do not want to follow the Bavarian example. In media reports, however, it is said that the Chancellery and the federal states are already discussing an FFP2 mask requirement. The Greens and the Left criticize that it is difficult for many people to finance such masks. Bavaria therefore gives around 2.5 million masks free of charge to those in need.

However, politicians and experts disagree about how useful this measure is. Several German experts are in favor of the Bavarian measure. However, it is emphasized that the availability of the masks and the correct handling are essential. Saxony's Prime Minister Kretschmer was open to the idea, "if we have enough FFP2 masks in the country that are affordable and can be bought by everyone at a reasonable cost," he told the "Welt". But he doesn't see that yet. Experts also warn against a false sense of security. Wearing an FFP2 or FFP3 mask alone does not help to reduce the incidence of infections. A mix is ​​important. An FFP2 mask requirement as in Bavaria is therefore rather unlikely during the consultations next week.

Contact reductions

Most recently, the number of permitted contacts was again massively restricted. A household is currently only allowed to meet one other person, children under the age of twelve are only exempt in some federal states. Nevertheless, Kretschmer is in favor of drastically tightening the contact restrictions nationwide for two to three weeks. The experience had to be made: "The only way to reduce incidence is with a very hard lockdown," said Kretschmer. "This soft lockdown with open schools, kindergartens, with open shopping opportunities does nothing. Therefore: hard and consistent."

So far, tightening the contact restrictions has not been an option. The previous regulations are not consistently enforced everywhere, argues Kretschmer. Schools and daycare centers are not closed everywhere and you don't need a negative rapid test in every nursing home. It is unclear whether Kretschmer is therefore calling for tightening or "just" more consistent compliance with the current resolutions. Government spokesman Seibert also spoke of a reduction in contact: The number of new infections is still much too high, plus the risk of new mutations. We need further reductions in contact wherever possible, says Seibert. It is still questionable whether the federal states will get involved or, for example, completely close schools and daycare centers without emergency care.