Wieler and Minister frustrated: Spahn calls for lockdown without calling him that

Wieler and Minister frustrated
Spahn calls for Lockdown without calling him that

From Volker Petersen

RKI boss Wieler and Health Minister Spahn are calling for more contact restrictions. The more the better. The tone could hardly be clearer. Not only must everyone in the country feel addressed, but also the new government.

What still needs to happen for people to notice that Covid-19 is a serious illness, asks RKI boss Lothar Wieler at his umpteenth Corona press conference with Health Minister Jens Spahn in the morning. Once again he is sitting in the federal press conference and is supposed to give his assessment of the situation. But the scientist has long since lost his sobriety. At least by his standards. In the past few weeks he had already asked for an emergency brake, it was five to twelve, he said, then it was five past twelve, and finally he found the picture of a tanker heading for the quay wall. This morning he asked the capital’s press to pause for a few seconds and commemorate the 100,000 deaths of the pandemic.

In the second pandemic winter, Germany seems to be trapped in lethargy. New highs in new infections, several hundred deaths per day and an unchecked seven-day incidence do not seem to do what Spahn and Wieler are trying again this morning: shaking up. Your choice of words is clear: “The situation is more serious than ever,” says Spahn. Wieler paints a dramatic picture of the intensive care units. Both are calling for the contacts to be drastically reduced. “As much as possible”, “the sooner the better”. Wieler’s appeal for contact reductions is so flaming that he could only top it if he actually lit a fire on the table in front of him.

It is noticeable that both of them avoid the word “lockdown” when asked, perhaps because it is burnt as a term that automatically triggers too much contradiction. When a journalist asks whether Germany needs a lockdown like Slovakia, Spahn says: “The harder we put on the brakes, the better. Anything that we don’t reduce now in terms of contacts will make even more drastic measures necessary.” But that’s exactly what a lockdown does. School closings have also been part of the past few months.

Spahn also made mistakes

As Minister of Health, Spahn cannot ensure the contact reductions. Countries have to do that. Or every person personally. Above all, he is putting pressure on the coming traffic light government. “Some say you want to take ten days’ time and see,” says Spahn, referring to Annalena Baerbock, who said exactly that. “Too many who have political responsibility seem to think we’re somehow alright,” he claims. He could be accused of being one of those responsible. After all, a few weeks ago he had also called for an end to the epidemic situation of national importance – with the express reason that so many people had already been vaccinated.

But that was yesterday, today the question is what helps to break the fourth wave. The fact is that the traffic light coalition with 3G in the workplace and public transport, with nationwide 2G and mandatory testing in old people’s homes has initiated stricter measures than has been the case before. It is not yet clear how much this will help. But experts do not see the trend reversal in this. “It’s all of no use. Significantly more contact restrictions are needed, 2G plus and the cancellation of major events and celebrations,” says Spahn. He also calls for the federal and state governments to get together again as soon as possible. Actually, such a round is not planned until December 9th. “The best thing would be if the prime ministerial conference met in the next few days,” he said. Also because of the signal effect: “Just acting together and publicly negotiating has led many to change their behavior,” believes the minister.

Criticism of the STIKO

Spahn has received a lot of criticism himself in the last few weeks. Most recently, for example, because he realized that the Moderna supplies would soon expire and the vaccine should be given priority. He did not see this winter rise coming either. Of course he says again how much he warned about everything that was decided in the summer. He also criticizes the Standing Vaccination Commission. This is very important, but not an instrument for pandemic times. The fact that many doctors were still waiting for the STIKO recommendation despite a booster recommendation for everyone by the health minister led to delays. “If 17 health ministers make a decision, then that is the one that has to apply,” said Spahn.

Spahn and Wieler leave no doubt that action must be taken now. “We have all the data, all the information that is needed to make appropriate decisions,” says the RKI boss. He also says that with a view to the new crisis team that Olaf Scholz wants to set up in the Chancellery. Spahn is also critical of him: “This gives the impression that we don’t have any crisis teams,” he says. You could set up another one, but that would not be an innovation. “I currently have the impression that the decision that has to be made will not be made due to a lack of scientific support.”

But? He doesn’t say anything about this – but one can assume that he thinks the Ampel-Coalition doesn’t dare to make the unpleasant decision. The decision to clearly state what he apparently does not dare to do: to ensure a hard lockdown now.

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