From ceilings to corona rules: the federal government has to step up

Created: 08/19/2022Updated: 08/19/2022 15:36

Kerstin von der Decken (CDU, M), Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of Health, speaks.

© Axel Heimken/dpa/archive image

Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of Health, Kerstin von der Decken, is calling for improvements to be made to the planned revision of the Federal Infection Protection Act.

"We expect clear, implementable and comprehensible corona regulations from the federal government if, for example, we have to react to new virus variants in autumn or winter," said the CDU politician on Friday.

Kiel - Currently no tightening measures are useful or planned.

Should they become necessary, the countries would have to be able to react quickly.

Measures must be appropriate to the situation and effective.

The federal government must provide a reliable framework for this.

The present draft does not meet these requirements and central points need to be improved.

Von der Decken pleaded for an opening clause: The federal states should also be able to make more differentiated or, if necessary, different rules.

"Through tailor-made and well-accepted measures, it should be possible to avoid unnecessary burdens on people, society and the economy, which could make sense in countries with a lower vaccination rate, for example."

The minister rejected a basic test obligation for all clinic employees.

Instead, those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered should be exempt from the obligation or hygiene management should go back to the trained hygiene staff in the clinics.

Uniform mask standards advocated by the blankets: Instead of complicated, differentiating rules, medical masks should be specified as a general specification.

FFP2 masks could continue to be prescribed as part of hygiene concepts, especially to protect vulnerable groups.

Von der Decken also found that testing without cause is currently not a suitable means of avoiding infections.

dpa