Corona incidence in Germany over 1500 for the first time

The corona incidence values ​​have been increasing significantly for days. The top German disease control authority, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), gave the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Sunday at 1526.8 – after 1496.0 on Saturday.

In view of the currently particularly strong spread of corona in Germany in a European comparison, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) again urges unvaccinated people to be vaccinated. “Tendency is increasing, many deaths,” tweeted the minister.

Lauterbach emphasized that the strong spread is due to the fact that around 25 percent of the population has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The unvaccinated are now defenseless against the virus. In addition, vaccinated people are now often careless because they know that they could become infected, but usually do not become seriously ill. Freedoms like those in England, Spain or Italy are therefore not possible in Germany.

According to the Federal Government, the swelling corona wave with the omicron variant of the virus is largely being driven by the even more contagious omicron variant BA.2.

Doubts about easing are growing

On March 20th, most of the nationwide corona requirements are to be abolished. The nationwide legal basis for such measures expires on March 19. After that, only so-called basic protective measures should apply, such as a mask requirement in air and long-distance traffic as well as mask and test regulations for retirement homes, hospitals and other facilities in which particularly vulnerable people live or are cared for.

Stricter rules can be imposed for corona hotspots – i.e. regions with a particularly high number of infections. A decision by the respective state parliament is then required for this. In addition to other protective measures, the 3-G rule (vaccinated, recovered or tested negative) at the workplace and the home office obligation for employees are also expiring. However, the companies can continue to offer the model.

In view of the increasing number of infections, medical representatives called on the federal and state governments to stick to the mask requirement in public interiors beyond March 20th. “Wearing masks is a proven and simple protective measure. It would be a mistake to give this remedy out of hand without need,” said Gernot Marx, President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), the Funke newspaper -media group.

DGB warns against too little protection in the workplace

The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) warned against neglecting protection against corona infections in the workplace. “Occupational safety must not become a private matter for employees from the end of March,” said DGB board member Anja Piel to the Funke newspapers on Monday. “The pandemic is not over yet and that’s why home office – where possible – remains a useful tool to limit contacts and thus the risk of infection.”

Criticism also comes from Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). “Basically, there are no longer any real protective measures,” he told the “Bild am Sonntag”. “This means that in the fall we are defenseless and defenseless against new mutations.” Söder also went hard with Lauterbach. The Federal Minister of Health is expecting new corona waves and the federal government in Berlin is abolishing all measures at the same time. It’s no longer logical.

Doubts about the Corona course of the SPD-led federal government were also raised within the party. There is currently “a wave of 200 to 300 deaths a day – despite the measures that are still in force,” said Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stefan Weil (SPD) to the “Handelsblatt”. “I don’t think it’s wise to drop all caution in this situation.”

qu/kle (dpa, afp)