Internally, Chancellor Angela Merkel commented on the corona situation in Germany - with "concern". It seems possible that after harsh criticism, a long-abandoned practice will return.
- Germany has recently seen a sharp rise in corona numbers.
- The political reactions remained rather manageable - but now Chancellor Merkel apparently wants to intervene again.
- In a CDU presidium meeting, Merkel made a new assessment of the current situation.
Update from August 17, 3:43 p.m.: Chancellor Angela Merkel has apparently internally described the current Corona situation in Germany as "worrying, but still manageable" (see initial report). On the other hand, health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has now made public statements: He apparently considers both easing and new restrictions to be conceivable - and has prepared the Germans for the fact that a prioritization in favor of leisure activities could be necessary.
Daycare centers, schools, business and trade should have priority over
public or private celebrations in view of the current corona development , he said in a video press conference on Monday. You have to work together on
what has priority now and where you can still take your time with further relaxation or where you have to start in the worst case.
Merkel expresses concern about the corona situation: Spahn warns of parties - Lauterbach sees second wave as "reality"
There are things that you can do without, he said with a view to folk festivals . At family celebrations, you have to look again to see whether you are only doing it in close or close circle of family and friends at this stage. It is primarily about these areas "when we are sociable", where the virus spreads particularly quickly. "At the moment there are particularly many younger people infected," said the minister. That suggests a connection with parties .
The people had to remain vigilant, but there was also no reason for an “end times mood”. The health authorities could deal with the previous magnitude . "It would be worrying if it continued to rise," warned Spahn.
In any case, the CDU currently refused to further relax the corona measures. General Secretary Paul Ziemiak said after a board meeting: "We agreed that further steps towards opening up are not appropriate." The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach called for a nationwide limit of private celebrations to 50 participants. "The second wave of infections is already a reality in Germany," he told the Rheinische Post .
Merkel makes a new assessment of Corona: information leaked from CDU meeting - is a role coming backwards?
First report: Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has described the increasing number of corona infections in Germany as worrying, but still manageable. According to information from the dpa from participants in the first virtual CDU presidium meeting after the summer break, Merkel said on Monday that there could be no further easing at the moment. This also applies to football games.
Corona: Angela Merkel with roll backwards? Now apparently again talking to country managers
According to further information from party circles, talks are currently underway about a meeting of the prime ministers with the chancellor in the coming week, at which the corona situation will be discussed. The decision should be made in the course of the day during discussions between the head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun (CDU), and the heads of the state chancelleries.
When the meeting could take place and whether it would take place in person at the Chancellery was initially unknown. The consultations should therefore also focus on the inconsistent rules for dealing with the pandemic . Weeks ago Merkel said goodbye to the coordination work with the federal states.
After the Bavarian test debacle, however, criticism and calls for more support were also voiced from Merkel's side. CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized at the same meeting that she wanted to get the rising number of corona infections under control as far as possible without far-reaching measures. "Everything must be done to prevent a second lockdown," said Kramp-Karrenbauer, according to information from party circles. The safest possible operation of schools and daycare centers is currently a priority . The economy must also be supported in order to avoid higher unemployment.
Angela Merkel in the Corona crisis: Hesse's Prime Minister warns of "alarmism" - Laschet expects a long crisis
According to information from participants in the CDU presidium, the Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) warned of alarmism in connection with the current corona numbers. In Germany there is no longer a situation like in March. One must now deal with the situation prudently. Bouffier and the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet made it clear in the deliberations that they expected that one would have to live with the current situation for a long time.
In line with this, Merkel's government has also shown willingness to extend short-time working benefits. Merkel is "fundamentally positive" about such plans, said government spokesman Steffen Seibert . Details would now have to be discussed by the coalition parties. The short-time working allowance had made a significant contribution to Germany's ability to withstand the global crisis relatively well. Seibert also made a demand at the press conference to Belarus.
Vice Chancellor, Finance Minister and SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz had previously told Bild am Sonntag that he wanted to extend the period of drawdown for short-time allowance * to 24 months. The corona crisis * will not suddenly disappear in the next few weeks: "Companies and employees need a clear signal from the government: We are going with you all the way through the crisis so that no one is laid off without need." it worries about a dangerous economic chain reaction.
Corona in Germany: RKI recently reported high numbers of infections
The corona situation in Germany is comparatively tense. The health authorities in Germany reported 561 new corona infections within one day. This was based on information from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from early Monday morning. On Friday and Saturday, the RKI reported more than 1,400 new infections within 24 hours. Experience has shown that the numbers are often lower on Sundays and Mondays because not all health authorities transmit data to the RKI at the weekend.
The peak of the daily reported new infections was at the beginning of April at more than 6000. After the values were still over 1000 in May, the number had tended to decrease, since the end of July it has been increasing again, probably also in connection with summer vacation trips. Experts are concerned that there could be a sharp increase in the number of cases, which would push the health authorities to their limits when it comes to tracking chains of infection. ( dpa / fn ) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen digital network .
