Sunday 19th December 2021
New restrictions planned
The federal and state governments are already discussing on Tuesday
The Expert Council paints a dramatic picture of an omicron wave – and suggests, for example, contact restrictions. The federal and state governments want to react, and there will be another prime ministerial conference on Tuesday. It could be about events.
The federal and state governments will discuss the corona situation and how to proceed in view of the spread of the Omikron variant on Tuesday. This was announced by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst as chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference. The exchange should therefore be about the evaluation of the first opinion of the Corona Expert Council. In addition, the federal and state governments want to discuss preparatory measures to protect the critical infrastructure (KRITIS) as well as other measures to reduce contact to protect the health system from impending overload.
The Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council had recommended the rapid introduction of new contact restrictions due to the spread of omicrons. According to the experts, there is a need for action “already for the next few days”. To justify its recommendation, the council referred to the omicron virus variant, which is considered particularly infectious and which brings a “new dimension” to the pandemic: “The doubling time of the omicron incidence assumed in Germany is currently in the range of around two to four days” the paper says.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach had previously ruled out a lockdown. “No, we won’t have a lockdown like in the Netherlands before Christmas,” said the SPD politician to the ARD’s “report from Berlin”. Regarding the question of a lockdown in Germany after the festive season, Lauterbach Bild-TV said: “I don’t think we will have a hard lockdown there either.”
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr also affirmed the goal of avoiding a lockdown. “Sensible contact restrictions, if they were necessary, you have to look at,” he said on ZDF. “But at the moment I say: no lockdown and as few contact restrictions as possible.” Dürr announced that the FDP would support all measures “that are effective”. When asked whether he was in favor of contact restrictions before Christmas, he said: “We have to talk about it now. We look at what experts tell us, then make political decisions.”
Wüst calls for a common strategy
Previously, the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst had already requested a joint timetable for the federal and state governments to deal with Omikron before Christmas. “We need a common strategy against Omikron,” said the CDU politician of the German press agency. NRW presides over the conference of the ministers presidents. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann from the Greens said dpa that he was very alarmed about what he was hearing about Omikron.
Top politicians from the Left and the Union warned the traffic light government against being too frugal before Christmas. “With a view to the pandemic and the health system, I unfortunately have to say that I will not go into the Christmas season relaxed,” said Janine Wissler, head of the left, “Spiegel”. The next wave of pandemics has already been seen with sight. “Omikron is not the cause of the problem, but a further exacerbation.” Hamburg’s CDU boss Christoph Ploß also complains that the preparations for the upcoming wave are inadequate. “At Christmas time, of all times, there is now uncertainty because the traffic light coalition has not provided all the instruments to protect us from the Omikron variant.”
In order to slow the spread of Omikron in Germany, the federal government decided that entry from Great Britain will be drastically restricted from Monday. The UK has been classified as a virus variant area – this is the highest risk category. A two-week quarantine obligation applies to those entering the country, including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. It cannot be shortened by negative tests. The situation in Great Britain had worsened in the past few days due to Omikron.
In the Netherlands, given the rapidly expanding Omikron variant, a hard lockdown came into effect. Almost all shops, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, schools and hairdressers remain closed. Supermarkets and pharmacies are excluded. Denmark is also shutting down large parts of public life.