Sunday, January 09, 2022
“Omikron very serious problem”
Forwarders warn of delivery bottlenecks
The Omikron variant is currently spreading rapidly in Germany. This could now lead to major delivery problems, warns the logistics association. But another problem also makes new solutions necessary.
The Federal Association of Freight Transport and Logistics (BGL) sees the security of supply in Germany at risk due to the impending Omikron wave. “Omikron has the potential that delivery bottlenecks occur more frequently and that not all supply chains can be maintained,” said BGL President Dirk Engelhardt of “Bild am Sonntag”.
“On the one hand we have Omikron as a short-term but very serious problem, on the other hand we have a worldwide driver shortage in the long term.” Engelhardt appeals to politicians to quickly take precautions now. Germany could be divided into four to six regions in order to respond more specifically to possible bottlenecks.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the FDP has promised to counteract this with all his might. “We are doing everything we can to keep the supply chains stable,” said Wissing of “Bild am Sonntag”. “That’s why shortly after taking office I sought a conversation with the representatives of the industry and I get regular updates on the latest developments.”
The Omikron variant is currently spreading rapidly in Germany. Projections have shown that the number of Omikron infected people is currently doubling every five and a half days, said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the seven-day incidence in the morning to be 362.7. The day before it was 335.9, a week ago it was 222.7. The value quantifies the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over a period of seven days. The incidence is again as high as it was last before Christmas.