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Huge chaos around Corona emergency brakes: First measures apparently initiated in NRW - three districts affected

2020-05-10T04:39:16.344Z


Merkel and the country heads have agreed: from 50 new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants, action must be taken. The first emergency brakes were apparently now being applied.


Merkel and the country heads have agreed: from 50 new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants, action must be taken. The first emergency brakes were apparently now being applied.

  • On Wednesday, the country heads discussed with Chancellor Angela Merkel about further easing measures * in the Corona * crisis. 
  • The prime ministers agreed on key points with the federal government. 
  • Here is our Corona Virus Reporting Guide * and our “Corona News” * on Facebook. The current Corona case numbers for Germany can be found here as a map *.

Update from May 9th, 8:27 am : In the district of Coesfeld (NRW) only the first emergency brake was apparently pulled. According to dpa information, NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) closed the severely affected slaughterhouse with 129 infected employees. Further easing, which was planned for this week, was postponed to May 18 - including the opening of amusement parks, restaurants and shops of more than 800 square meters . The contact restrictions could not be relaxed either.

In Schleswig-Holstein, where a slaughterhouse is also affected in the Segeberg district , the Ministry of Health announced on Friday evening that the employees of all slaughterhouses in the state would be tested for the corona virus.

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Corona outbreak in the district of Steinburg: closed access to the affected slaughterhouse

© dpa / Carsten Rehder

Since foreign slaughterhouses are often employed in many slaughterhouses and the hygiene concepts do not seem to be sufficient, several diplomatic representations of the workers' countries of origin had apparently shown concern. 

The German district council advocates that "in the case of clearly isolable foci of infection such as old people's homes or individual schools" not "to order measures for the general public or to take existing loosening back broadly". This is clearly not appropriate, said President Reinhard Sager on Friday of the dpa.

Corona emergency brake: reactions to exceeding the numbers are irritating

Update 2.35 p.m .: In at least three counties , the upper limit for new corona infections set by the Federal Government and the Prime Ministers has already been exceeded . But the reactions to the specific cases are irritating: on the one hand, doctors consider the limit set too high (see update from 1:00 p.m.) - on the other hand, local politicians are rowing , but in one case Chancellor General Helge Braun (CDU) is already looking back at possible lockdowns. The state policy also does not appear to be prepared.

In the Thuringian district of Greiz, for example, District Administrator Martina Schweinsburg (CDU) even wants to start easing restrictions in the coming week. "On the one hand, it is important to prevent the virus from spreading further, on the other hand, we cannot put any further blockages on our economy or our gastronomy," said Schweinsburg on Thursday. It makes "little sense to ban everything that is necessary a few kilometers away".

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Think of loosening in spite of the "emergency brake": Greiz district administrator Martina Schweinsburg

© dpa / Martin Schutt

Braun had also appeased the Greiz case. "There is no automatic mechanism for broad contact restrictions," he emphasized in the ZDF talk "Maybrit Illner". Because the outbreak in Greiz is "very delimited", especially in nursing homes, he can well imagine a restriction concept that does not require broad, general restrictions .

Corona emergency brake: No concrete plans for another lockdown

It was also announced on Friday that the Steinburg district in Schleswig-Holstein had also exceeded the upper limit - partly due to an outbreak in a slaughterhouse in the neighboring district of Segeberg. A spokeswoman for the district knew nothing of planned measures, as the dpa reported. There is simply no ordinance from the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Health. 

Even in the third current hotspot, in the Coesfeld district , there are apparently no concrete plans in the direction of lockdown. The circle said on Friday morning that the situation was continuously assessed and advice on measures taken.

Officially, however, the Chancellery is firmly committed to the regulation. With 50 new infections per hundred thousand inhabitants, "the fire brigade has to come, because then the roof structure will be on fire", explained Braun. Otherwise there is a risk of waking up “with 100 or 200 infections” and “with overwhelmed hospitals”.

Corona emergency brake: District in Schleswig-Holstein is also waiting for regulations

Update 2:12 pm: In Schleswig-Holstein, too, a district has now exceeded the upper limit of new corona infections set by the federal and state governments. With 87 confirmed current cases, the district of Steinburg on Friday was above the maximum number of 50 newly infected per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the authorities, the limit for the district with 131,000 inhabitants is 66 new infections. There have been a total of 164 confirmed Covid-19 cases there. Three people died. 74 are healthy again.

A spokeswoman for the district said that no information could yet be given on the necessary measures. There is still no corresponding ordinance from the state health ministry.

"Veiled": Experts warn of Merkel's emergency brake - two counties are in danger of an emergency

Update of May 8, 1:00 p.m .:  Some experts classify it as too lax (see Update of May 7, 11:09 a.m.) - nevertheless, the "emergency brake" decided by the Federal Government around Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Prime Minister could for corona loosening soon.

The Coesfeld district, which is particularly affected by the coronavirus, is the first in North Rhine-Westphalia to face new restrictions in the pandemic. According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the limit of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week has been exceeded. It was 52.7 on Friday (as of midnight).

In the Thuringian district of Greiz , too, 75.4 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants were detected within 7 days by Friday (as of midnight), as an overview by the RKI shows. This is a slight decrease from the previous day (80.5), but still significantly above the planned upper limit of 50.

“Emergency braking” debate: Doctors at the health authorities criticize the border - Braun thinks of a special solution for Greiz

In the district, the crisis team wants to decide on further measures to contain the pandemic on Monday. According to the district office on Friday, the focus continues to be on nursing homes. Now, the easing planned throughout Thuringia when visiting old people's homes and nursing homes for the East Thuringian district could fail. Chancellor-in-chief Helge Braun (CDU) hinted in a TV talk that since the outbreak in Greiz was "very delimited", he could imagine a concept that could do without broad, general restrictions.

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Slow steps into the new normal: Chancellor Angela Merkel and the RKI case number card (right).

© Michael Kappeler / dpa

The Federal Association of Doctors of the Public Health Service (BVÖGD) has meanwhile also criticized the upper limit of infections agreed in the relaxation plans of the federal and state governments as far too high. "How the health authorities should deal with it is a mystery to me. That is not possible, ”said the chairwoman of the association Ute Teichert to the editorial network Germany. "The health authorities will be on their knees without permanent staff support." Teichert continued: "The number 50 is an unknown number to me. We have no idea where it comes from. "

Merkel's “emergency brake” in criticism: beer and family festival as corona herd in Rosenheim and Greiz?

Update 2:01 p.m .: In addition to Rosenheim in Bavaria, the 98,000-inhabitant district of Greiz in southeastern Thuringia is a corona stronghold. With 85 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within the past seven days, Greiz not only leads a sad Germany-wide infection record. The district thus serves the factor 50, which Angela Merkel's emergency brake regulation provides, in order to cause a lockdown. 

But where do the high infection numbers come from in Greiz? In Rosenheim, the high number of people infected was due to a strong beer festival. And in Greiz were loud Bild.de larger festivals in the spread of coronavirus responsible. However, these were only two family celebrations - at least with more than 500 guests each. 

The celebrations apparently took place in late February and early March. Several participants must have been infected. For the first time on March 13, the infection chain could be traced back to a party guest and the spread has probably not yet stopped. More than 500 people were infected in the district. 

Unjust and manipulable? Expert tears up Merkel's emergency brake using the example of Munich

Update from May 7th, 11.09am: The crisis management in the  coronavirus pandemic has been the main responsibility of the federal states since Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel was able to implement a so-called emergency brake in her consultation with the Prime Minister. If more than 50 new infections are reported in a district within seven days, a lockdown must follow. Ulrich Mansmann, director of the Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE) at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, explains this  brand is questionable and unjustFocus.de

"For the city of Munich, for example, this means more than doubling the current infection rate, which for the past week was 21.5 infections per 100,000 inhabitants," said Mansmann. If this limit is reached in the metropolis , it is questionable whether rapid spread can be stopped at all. 

In populous urban areas, the spread of the virus according to the “emergency braking” factor may go largely unnoticed. In a city ​​of over a million people , measures are only taken when there are 500 cases. Smaller districts are disadvantaged at the same time, Mansmann believes . With around 100,000 inhabitants, the lockdown already follows with 50 infected people. “Such a border should be staggered regionally. Because in a smaller district, it can be reached quickly if there is an outbreak, ”said the expert. 

Merkel's emergency brake can also be manipulated. In order to make the number of infections beautiful, the tests could simply be reduced. “Such a fixed upper limit number could be manipulated. But against that a clear and comprehensible documentation of the tests helps, ”Mansmann warns.

Criticism is now also voiced because of the still closed borders. The Münchner Merkur comments: The federal government should take care of a "European border policy worthy" now *. 

Merkel's red line for new corona infections: Two counties should remain in the lockdown

Original article from May 6, 2020:

Munich - It is one of the central cornerstones of the Federal Government's concept of easing the situation in the Corona crisis: The federal states must ensure that a consistent restriction concept immediately reappears within the last seven days in counties or independent cities with more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants must be implemented. 

Specifically, this means: If the number is over 50, then the district or city must take lockdown measures again. Merkel agreed on this with the country heads on Wednesday in a switching conference.

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Corona upper limit: Fierce discussion about new infections

There had been fierce discussions about this point in the link between the country heads and Merkel  because the city states of Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen in particular did not want to accept this upper limit. 

In the end , Chancellor Merkel prevailed with her proposal . The Chancellor is campaigning for cautious easing, because some virologists fear severe setbacks if they are too open.

It urges quick countermeasures in the event of possible regional corona outbreaks. For this, an “emergency mechanism” agreed with the federal states is important, she said on Wednesday in Berlin after consulting with the prime minister. "When regional herds of infection reappear, you have to be able to immediately use special measures again."

Corona new infections: Rosenheim and Greiz are above the upper limit

Although the number of new infections has dropped sharply in Germany, two regions are currently above the hard limit of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. On the one hand it is the independent city of Rosenheim . According to the Robert Koch Institute, there were an average of 52.1 new cases extrapolated to 100,000 inhabitants. The city itself currently has just over 63,000 inhabitants.

According to Söder, the “emergency brake” is an emergency policy that shows everyone when to start again. This is the "central element" of all planning.

It will probably also meet the Greiz district in Thuringia . The number of new infections there is 84.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is even higher than in Rosenheim. The district is at the top of Germany's RKI statistics.

Some counties are close:  The Zollernalb district and the district of Heidenheim (both in Baden-Württemberg) have had an average of 47.6 and 49.8 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days.

Corona restrictions only possible for individual furnishings

How the authorities will react in Rosenheim and in the district of Greiz is not yet clear. In the case of a clearly defined infection event, for example in a facility, a restriction concept could only include the facility , according to the agreement between the country heads and the federal government. 

In the event of a more widespread regional outbreak and unclear infection chains, general restrictions that have now been lifted would also have to be reintroduced regionally. Such measures should apply until the target value of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants is at least seven days below .

By the way: after the federal-state consultations on Wednesday, details of the course of the conference became known. Chancellor Angela Merkel and a prime minister are said to have had a particularly great need for discussion. 

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* Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network.

mb / dpa

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Guido Kirchner

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-05-10

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