Ahe tireless warner and reminder of the dangers of the Omicron variant has become a flexible pragmatist in dealing with Corona. Health Minister Lauterbach is also proposing to the federal states a liberal about-face in quarantine in parallel with the end of many corona rules. Lauterbach and the Robert Koch Institute recommend only five days of isolation for infected people instead of ten. And this quarantine doesn’t even have to be “strict”, says the SPD man. Gone are the days when people infected with corona who reported their positive test result in accordance with the law received unfriendly mail from the health department with the order to “isolate”.
In view of the sheer mass of infections, which were mostly mild or even symptom-free, but caused a high staff shortage in the “critical infrastructure” after ten days of quarantine, Lauterbach had no choice but to soften the rule. And even when it comes to compulsory vaccination, he will probably have to retreat. Shortly before the decision in the Bundestag, it is becoming apparent that there is no majority for general vaccination requirements from the age of 18, for which Lauterbach has campaigned heavily. As a compromise, vaccination is now compulsory from the age of 50. It would be another victory for the FDP in pandemic politics, from whose ranks the proposal comes.