The police in Germany strictly control compliance with the ban on contact in the corona crisis. But how big is the risk of infection for and by the officials? A search for traces.
- Corona crisis *: The police in Germany strictly monitor compliance with the ban on contact * and exit restrictions - sometimes in larger groups.
- In neighboring Austria , the number of officers infected with Sars-Cov-2 is increasing significantly - and is even causing bottlenecks on the guards.
- The danger: In the worst case, are police officers unwanted superspreaders in the coronavirus pandemic *?
Munich - The number of people infected with the coronavirus and corona deaths in Germany * continues to rise.
For the time being up to and including April 19, the ban on contacts and strict exit restrictions apply nationwide - just as strictly controlled by the state police and the federal police.
Corona crisis: police control ban on contact in team strength
It is striking in many places: It is not uncommon for officials to control crowds of people, even in larger groups. Or the riot police drive to the next area of operation with full personnel carriers.
For example, photos from Stuttgart and Munich show several police officers standing close together, on the Karlshöhe in the Swabian metropolis, which is popular with locals, or in the English Garden in the Bavarian capital.
Corona in Germany: groups of police officers in Munich and Stuttgart
From Munich it is also known that recently after 11 p.m. a squad of standby police officers and several MVG (underground) security officers met at a subway station at Goetheplatz for a briefing - up to a dozen people who were at least the minimum distance apart In no way adhered to 1.5 to two meters.
Munich: Police patrol in a group through the English Garden - almost shoulder to shoulder.
© dpa / Matthias Balk
Aren't they contagious? Or even real spreaders for the spread of the corona virus ?
At a press conference in Vienna a few days ago, the latter question was asked by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz * and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (both ÖVP).
Coronavirus: Austria controls its police officers for corona infections
Specifically, the journalist asked: "What about the group's social distancing ? We keep getting messages from readers who see six or more police officers in a car. ”
According to Kurz, investigations are being carried out on police officers in Austria to check whether there is a risk that "these people will become superspreaders , that they will spread the disease a lot, those who are needed so much in the corona crisis".
As a reminder: Superspreaders are those who infect many other people with an illness.
Corona virus: A number of police officers infected with corona in Austria and Germany
At the end of March, Nehammer said: “There are special hygiene obligations for police officers. We have prepared for the case when the infection rate gets higher. We currently have 101 infected police officers, one third of whom are in Tyrol, and 939 other officers in isolation. We carry out rapid tests so that they can be brought back to service as quickly as possible. "
A week later, on the first weekend in April, there were 137 police officers infected with corona in Austria, and around 700 colleagues were in quarantine. And in Germany * ?
According to the world , as of March 20, more than 120 police officers were proven to be infected with the corona virus, at least 1,500 officers nationwide were in quarantine at the time.
Corona crisis: Checks on the ban on contact are not always with mouthguards
Her colleagues continue to carry out checks on the ban on contact and issue corresponding sanctions in accordance with the Infection Protection Act - some with face masks, some not.
Police officers as superspreaders in the corona crisis? There is currently no verifiable data, but there are observations that law enforcement officers do not always adhere to the guidelines when carrying out their demanding work - or cannot.
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* Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network
