“law is well done”
Buschmann defends new corona regulations
4/1/2022 11:26 am
Resistance to the new Infection Protection Act is high throughout Germany. When it comes to the freedom of citizens, a strict law is a good law, said Federal Minister of Justice Buschmann, justifying the changes. The regulations are “very clear” and “well done”.
Before most of the nationwide corona requirements in Germany were abolished, Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann again defended the amended Infection Protection Act against criticism. “The law is strict, but it’s not bad,” said the FDP politician in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. “The law is very clear and well-crafted. But some don’t like the fact that the requirements for the hotspot regulation are just as precise and that if the regulation were misused, the courts would also put up a stop sign.”
“A strict law when it comes to the freedom of citizens is a good law,” said Buschmann, because this freedom should not be treated laxly. Germany is the last liberal democracy in the West with such strict measures. If the situation in the hospitals is stable and everyone has been offered a vaccination, there is a lot to be said for “trusting people with a bit more personal responsibility,” said Buschmann.
According to the amended Infection Protection Act, the federal states will only be able to set a few general protective requirements from this Sunday, for example on masks in clinics, nursing homes, buses and trains, as well as tests in schools, for example. They can impose further requirements, including mask requirements in shops or schools, for example, in regional hotspots if the state parliament determines that there is an impending critical corona situation. Of the 16 states, only Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg are making use of this for the time being. Other countries had complained that an application was not possible due to uncertain legal requirements in federal law.
In Berlin, many previous restrictions were lifted on Friday. These include, for example, the obligation to wear masks when shopping and in schools, as well as the 3G rule when visiting restaurants and staying in hotels, i.e. access only for those who have been vaccinated, have recovered or tested negative.