Looser against brakes: These are the positions before the Corona summit

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021

Looser against brakes
These are the positions before the Corona summit

Open shops and restaurants, vaccinations and tests will help us, some say. They'll help, but not fast enough, the wave of infections is already rolling, the others say. The deliberations between the Chancellor and Prime Minister are unlikely to be easy.

One day before the federal and state consultations on how to proceed in the corona pandemic, the positions appear irreconcilable: advocates of easing, as well as representatives of a cautious course, drum up massively for their line. Trade, middle-class politicians and some of the prime ministers are promoting timely easing. Doctors and another part of the state heads of government, on the other hand, warn against hasty steps – they point to the increasing number of infections and the rolling of a third wave. The decision is unlikely to be made before evening on Wednesday.

What was agreed?

The target of the policy was a value below 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week. At the last meeting on February 10th, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state heads of government agreed to open daycare centers, elementary schools and hairdressers every week, otherwise to extend the protective measures until March 7th and with a stable seven-day incidence of To take a next step at most: for retail, museums and other body-related services.

What is the current situation?

Daycare centers and primary schools opened a week ago, on this Monday the hairdressers were added and, depending on the country, also garden markets, flower shops, pedicure studios and more. The effects of the school and day-care center opening should only be foreseeable in about two weeks, those of the other openings even later.

Although the consequences of the openings are not yet reflected in the infection process, the values ​​have been rising again for over a week: on February 19, the seven-day incidence was 56.8, today it is 65.4. Scientists blame the more contagious and probably more deadly mutation B.1.1.7, which has spread from Great Britain. For the first half of April, values ​​around 200 are already possible.

What can slow the spread?

Up to and including Sunday, according to the Robert Koch Institute, 8.8 million doses of vaccine had been delivered and over 6.1 million administered. Astrazeneca plans to add another 1.1 million by Thursday. The Ministry of Health also proposes to provide two quick tests a week free of charge for everyone, which trained staff will carry out, as one of the ministry papers available to the dpa shows. In addition, self-tests should be carried out at home; the first are permitted.

Who wants to open further?

The trade association HDE warns of a wave of bankruptcies. Managing Director Stefan Genth told the "Rheinische Post": "The argument to keep the mobility of people low with closed shops no longer works. The inner cities are still full when the weather is good. The hygiene protection concepts of the shops are sufficient." The hotel and restaurant association (Dehoga) demands that the previous criteria be abandoned. "We are demanding a clear timetable with which restaurants and hotels can reopen before Easter," said managing director Ingrid Hartges to the Berlin "Tagesspiegel". "The exclusive focus on the incidence value must be abandoned and other measured values ​​recommended by the RKI must be taken into account."

There are also increasing calls for easing in the Union. The chairman of the Union's SME parliamentary group, Christian von Stetten, told the "Augsburger Allgemeine": "The prime ministers must define an opening path and then adhere to it." And: "We can't wait until Easter." Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff would also like to loosen above an incidence of 50. Many people were exhausted after the lockdown, he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. "Therefore we should allow more – with strict hygiene measures, tests and vaccination offers." CDU boss Laschet also advocates careful opening steps.

Who wants to be more careful?

Medical associations warn against hasty and uncoordinated easing. "It would be wrong to simply open some areas because people are tired of lockdown," said the chairwoman of the Federal Association of Public Doctors, Ute Teichert, of the "Rheinische Post". Openings should only be made in conjunction with a targeted testing and tracking strategy. "The virus is still faster than our measures at the moment, we are just reacting." The Marburger Bund also warns to open it slowly and only gradually. "It is important to wait for the consequences before taking the next step," said chairwoman Susanne Johna of the Funke newspapers. The risk of a third wave of infections with highly contagious variants also affects younger people, especially high-risk patients. "We're talking about a quarter of the population here." Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher warned of a rapid end to the lockdown. "We would rather prolong the crisis if we now lift too many restrictions at the same time," he told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung". "We have to prevent a strong third wave before the vaccinations offer us sufficient protection against corona."

Is there a compromise in sight?

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder is trying to reconcile the two. "We need a perspective for trade and also for the issue of contact restrictions," he told ntv. However, regional differentiation is necessary for those who have very low incidences – and conversely, an emergency brake and hotspot strategy for those areas that are very high. One must open with caution and caution, demanded Söder.