Lockdown approval is dwindling: Little hope of corona easing

Lockdown approval is waning
Little hope of Corona easing

Sitting outside in the café at Easter? Economics Minister Altmaier does not think this is so unlikely – despite Corona. But the lockdown will probably continue for the time being.

Before the federal and state consultations on Wednesday, there are no major easing of the corona rules in sight. Several politicians once again urge the greatest caution in view of the spread of mutations in the corona virus. According to a new poll, every second German is against easing the lockdown. Economics Minister Peter Altmaier told the "Bild am Sonntag": "We must not outbid ourselves publicly with easing schedules." The number of new infections is currently hardly lower than at the end of October when the lockdown began.

The CDU politician sees a perspective for the second half of March: "I very much hope that by the beginning of spring, at the latest by Easter, when the sun is shining and you can sit and dine outside, we have finally broken the pandemic wave and openings are possible . " He advocated a regional approach, depending on the level of regional infection numbers. The lockdown to contain the corona pandemic is currently limited to February 14th. On Wednesday, the federal government and the federal states want to consult with Chancellor Angela Merkel on how to proceed afterwards.

According to a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, 37 percent of citizens are in favor of extending the previous restrictions beyond February 14, and a further 13 percent are even in favor of tightening them. In contrast, 30 percent are in favor of a relaxation and 13 percent for a complete return to normalcy. The acceptance of the measures taken is waning: at the beginning of January – before the last extension of the lockdown – almost two thirds were in favor of maintaining or tightening the measures. As the vaccination campaign progresses, approval may decline even further. The first federal states have now received deliveries of the Astrazeneca vaccine. A third vaccine will soon be in use – alongside those from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna.

Uniform regulations for schools required

Pressure doesn't just come from retail and the service sector. The issue of school is particularly urgent. Several associations and unions have asked the federal and state governments to adopt a uniform step-by-step plan with binding criteria for school openings during their deliberations. The chairman of the German Association of Philologists, Susanne Lin-Klitzing, told the editorial network in Germany that nationwide uniform criteria were needed for gradual school openings. Marlis Tepe, the head of the Education and Science Union (GEW), also thinks this is necessary. "With this, countries, districts and cities would then have the opportunity to act flexibly with a view to the infection situation on site. The federal chaos must finally be ended."

Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek believes that schools can only be opened in exceptional cases for the time being. A nationwide return to face-to-face teaching "is likely to be premature at the moment because of the general infection situation," said the CDU politician in the newspapers of the Funke media group. "Perhaps a first step can be taken with great caution." The federal states are responsible for daycare centers and schools. A uniform procedure for all of Germany is discussed again and again, but is hardly enforceable because of the different interests in the countries.

. (tagsToTranslate) Politics (t) Lockdown (t) Corona crisis (t) Coronavirus (t) Coronavirus mutation (t) School (t) Peter Altmaier (t) Anja Karliczek (t) Education