Sunday April 11, 2021
Saxony sees “need for discussion”
These federal states are struggling with a standardized emergency brake
The pressure from the Chancellery is having an effect: In the Corona policy, the states agree to a shift in power to the federal government. But hardly a draft for the uniform emergency brake is available, critical tones from Saxony, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Bremen pile up.
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer sees a “considerable need for discussion” in the planned revision of the Federal Infection Protection Act. Regulations for restrictions should not be based solely on incidence values, explained the CDU politician in Dresden. As an additional factor, for example, the performance of the health system must be taken into account by taking a bed indicator into account as the basis for more severe restrictions. “From my point of view, this is an imperative for acceptance by the population.”
As Kretschmer further demanded, an intervention threshold for the curfew should only apply from an incidence of 200. In addition, further exemptions for the retail trade would have to be included in the law, “so that matters relating to daily needs are still possible in the event of a bridge lockdown”. As examples, he cited workshops, shops for baby supplies and newsagents. Above all, the federal government should dispense with regulations in the school sector. After all, the law must be limited in time and expire automatically.
Critical voices from Bavaria
The Bavarian Vice-Prime Minister and Free Voters boss Hubert Aiwanger also expressed fundamental concerns about a shift of competencies from the states to the federal government. “With regard to corona policy, the federal government should take care of the things for which it is responsible and where it has failed so far. Procurement of vaccine, enough good masks, better pay for nursing staff,” said Aiwanger of the “Passauer Neue Presse” and the ” Donaukurier “. Unlike his vice-president, however, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder announced that his state and the CSU would fully support the revision of the Infection Protection Act. “The draft is still being discussed and of course we as Bavaria as well as the CSU in the federal government will even be co-drivers that it will be decided,” said the CSU boss in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Boris Pistorius also warned urgently against a shift in competencies in favor of the federal government in the pandemic. “The fact is: where the federation had the authority, it has sometimes failed miserably,” said Pistorius of the “Welt”. The SPD minister named the procurement of vaccines and protective equipment as examples. Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil agreed “in principle” to more nationwide corona protection measures in the Infection Protection Act. But he also called for improvements: “In legal terms and with regard to numerous details, the draft from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to amend the Infection Protection Act must be revised,” said the SPD politician.
Weil criticized the federal government’s lack of experience. “The lawyers in the federal government lack the experience they have gained in the federal states over the past few months,” criticizes Weil. The regulations in Lower Saxony’s Corona Ordinance “are rather stricter and will remain so”. Unlike some other countries, the country had fully implemented the emergency brake agreed before Easter.
The Mayor of Bremen Andreas Bovenschulte was also critical of parts of the planned change in the law. “The present draft goes deep, in my opinion disproportionately deep into the private sphere in some areas, and at the same time does not take the risk of infection in companies seriously enough,” said Bovenschulte to the “Tagesspiegel”.
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