Corona in North Rhine-Westphalia: Laschet demands exit "timetable" - experts warn

The Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 hits the state of North Rhine-Westphalia hard. The number of new infections is increasing. All news in the news ticker.

• The corona virus * hits North Rhine-Westphalia hard.
• The death toll is increasing.
• The borders with the Netherlands and Belgium remain open.
• Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus and the corona news from Germany. You can also find current case numbers in Germany as a map. The following recommendations for corona protective measures are currently available.

Coronavirus in NRW: Laschet calls for a “road map” for normalization

Update from April 12, 6:50 p.m .: In an Easter speech, NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet agrees with the population to relax the restrictions on measures in the Corona crisis. “The willingness to do without also needs a chance of normalization. We need a timetable that shows us the way to a responsible normality, ”said Laschet in his speech broadcast on Sunday evening (19.55) on the WDR. The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia refers to the paper of a group of experts who proposed on Saturday to gradually reopen schools, universities and the retail sector.

"Major events such as Bundesliga soccer matches with spectators, but also trade fairs and congresses will not be able to take place in the foreseeable future", the WDR quotes from this paper, which the broadcaster says it has. It must therefore be ensured that the health system "is not foreseeable overwhelmed".

The federal and state governments want to advise on an exit strategy on Wednesday (April 15).

The NRW Ministry of Health announced on Easter Sunday (April 12, 11:30 a.m.) that the number of confirmed infections with the pathogen Sars-CoV-2 in NRW rose by 682 corona cases to 26,333 . 589 deaths - 35 more than the previous day - have so far been reported in NRW. Accordingly, 12,832 Covid-19 patients have recovered.

Corona crisis: fraudsters fake website of the NRW Ministry of Economics

Update from April 12, 5:14 p.m .: Fraudsters have forged the entire website of the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Your goal: to divert immediate Corona help to your own bank account. This was the result of research by NDR, WDR and “Süddeutscher Zeitung” from Sunday. Representatives of the NRW Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed this.

NRW already stopped the application process and payments due to fraud with fake websites on Wednesday (April 9).

#Corona: UPDATE on the temporary stop of the NRW emergency aid 2020 // Background on the current investigation and everything applicants now need to know ▶ ️https: //t.co/mfCd2vboW8 @IM_NRW pic.twitter.com/GaubKg25EH

Coronavirus in NRW: Virologist Streeck responds to criticism of the Heinsberg study

Update from April 11, 4:40 pm : The results of the Heinsberg study were presented on Thursday. But now experts are expressing criticism and doubts about the examinations in the region particularly affected by the coronavirus.

Update of April 10, 10:13 am: Travelers who have been abroad for more than 72 hours must immediately go into quarantine for 14 days when they return to North Rhine-Westphalia . The regulation applies as of today reported bild.de with reference to the State Chancellery of NRW. However, there are exceptions. Nurses, truck drivers and cross-border commuters are not affected by the regulation.

Coronavirus in NRW: Police use drones to enforce the ban on contact

Update from April 10, 9:20 a.m .: In times of the corona crisis, the police in North Rhine - Westphalia are also forced to take special measures. The use of flight drones is currently being tested in a total of ten authorities. The aircraft are used as part of the ban on contacts to search places for crowds. Passers-by could also be warned via the attached loudspeakers of the risks they face if they fail to observe the ban on contact .

The cameras of the drones should not be used to identify individuals, but rather to get a better overview. The video of the drone would not be saved, the Express reports. The drones were most recently used in Düsseldorf and Dortmund, among others. The reaction of the citizens was "quite positive", according to the Düsseldorf police .

Corona in NRW: Heinsberg study surprises - mortality rate lower than feared

Update of April 9, 7.15 p.m .: The North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament has postponed the vote on the controversial epidemic law to the coming week . In the plenary session on Thursday, the AfD requested a third reading. This should now take place next Tuesday. Originally, the law should have been passed at second reading this Thursday. The CDU, FDP, SPD and Greens spoke in favor of the revised draft law, the AfD against .

Corona crisis in NRW: Epidemic Act no longer provides for an obligation

Contrary to what was initially planned, the new draft law no longer requires medical personnel to work in hospitals. This measure has now been replaced by a volunteer register . This step was preceded by discussions about the legality of the draft law. The opposition had constitutional concerns because the legislative process should be shortened considerably.

A legislative decision could also be postponed in Baden-Württemberg. The state asked the Stuttgart administrative court to postpone a decision on diesel driving bans scheduled for April until a later date. The country also founded this concern with the corona pandemic.

Update of April 9, 5:05 pm: The fake news websites in North Rhine-Westphalia led to a halt in emergency aid payments. Fraudsters had tried to bring self-employed people to their corona help. The Ministry of Economic Affairs had already filed a complaint on Tuesday (April 7).

Herbert Reul (CDU) , the state's interior minister , has now announced in Düsseldorf that an estimated 3500 to 4000 applicants are affected by the fraud. These were targeted to foreign websites. So far it is not known whether other federal states are affected.

Corona crisis in NRW: positive news from the federal state

Update from April 9, 11:15 a.m .: Positive news in the wake of the Corona crisis comes from North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. In a press conference, Prime Minister Armin Laschet confirmed that the trends of the past few days had solidified in NRW and the data would show a flattening of the curve . One must continue to be cautious with forecasts, but the prime minister called for solutions to be found to better reconcile people's freedom and health in the future.

The first interim results of the study, which was carried out in the particularly affected district of Heinsberg, were also announced at the press conference. In extensive studies in the community of Gangelt, immunity has already been found in 15 percent of the citizens .

Coronavirus in NRW: Interim result from large field study published in Heinsberg

According to virologist Streeck , the death rate is significantly lower than previously feared . The probability of dying from the disease is 0.37 percent based on the total number of people infected. The corresponding rate currently calculated by the American Johns Hopkins University in Germany is 1.98 percent and is five times higher, said the virologist Prof. Hendrik Streeck.

The district administrator of the Heinsberg district, Stephan Pusch, who also participated in the press conference, also reported a flattening curve from his circle and emphasized the effectiveness of the measures. "The district of Heinsberg slipped past a huge catastrophe," said Pusch.

Corona virus in North Rhine-Westphalia: State government stops payment of emergency corona aid - fraud via fake websites

Update from April 9, 10:03 a.m . : The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has temporarily stopped paying Corona emergency aid. The reason for this are several fake websites on the Internet. Using fake application forms, data would be collected on these, which could then be used for criminal activities.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs had already filed a complaint about fraud on Tuesday due to the fake pages. In the coming days, the investigative group will continue to investigate to identify fraudulent applications. Until then, however, the payments were suspended. Small businesses and the self-employed, for whom the aid is intended, can still apply for emergency aid via the official website.

In the meantime, the Free State of Bavaria and Prime Minister Markus Söder have been sharply criticized by the World Medical President *.

Coronavirus in NRW: Laumann wants to enable visits to nursing homes - and is receiving harsh criticism

Update at 19:23: The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia is currently receiving a lot of criticism. On the one hand for their planned pandemic law, on the other hand for a push by Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU). At least the pandemic law, which provides far-reaching powers for the state government in the corona crisis, could now be defused in essential points . So the particularly controversial passage on the obligation of doctors and nurses in the event of a disaster will probably be deleted , it said on Wednesday from parliamentary groups. Instead, there could be a volunteer register. The WDR had previously reported on this.

The opposition had called for corrections after expressing constitutional concerns. The SPD had announced that it would only approve the law if medical personnel's obligations were removed . Legal experts had also expressed doubts about the constitutionality on this point.

The parliamentary leaders of the CDU, FDP, SPD and Greens have been negotiating amendments to the law since Wednesday afternoon. It should now be adopted on Thursday in a special state parliament session.

Residents in North Rhine-Westphalia are expected to visit again soon despite the corona pandemic

Another news from North Rhine-Westphalia is surprising. The local health minister Laumann emphasized in a press conference on Wednesday that the situation in nursing homes and old people's homes in the state is now worsening . Nevertheless, residents of the state should soon be able to receive visitors again despite the Corona crisis. Laumann said at the press conference that he had commissioned scientists at the University of Health in Bochum to offer short-term solutions. How and when this can be implemented is still open.

"These are all people with an already very short life expectancy," said Laumann about the situation in the nursing homes and said: "We have to do everything we can to ensure that these people do not have to spend their rest of their lives in isolation ." very stressful for those in need of care as well as for their relatives.

But Laumann's plans are also criticized. The German Foundation for Patient Protection described exit strategies in this area as "highly dangerous" because there was no adequate basic protection in the old people's homes and outpatient care. "It would be life-threatening for people in the high-risk group to raise false expectations among the population," warned foundation board member Eugen Brysch in a message. What was achieved would be put at risk. Instead, more staff, equipment and corona tests are needed for all residents with flu symptoms.

Coronavirus in NRW: battle for masks - Health Minister speaks of an explosive situation

Update at 2:55 p.m .: As NRW Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann explains in a press conference on Wednesday, the situation in nursing and old people's homes in NRW is now coming to a head. Around 188 homes are affected, more than 600 residents infected within the state. Around 1,200 nursing staff are in quarantine . The procurement of urgently needed protective clothing is now a problem.

Accordingly, even with the necessary money, it was not possible to buy enough masks for daily needs. Laumann compared the current situation in Germany and the world with the "Wild West" .

Update at 2:50 p.m .: North Rhine-Westphalia is launching a ten million euro aid package for sports clubs in need. "It is about those clubs that have to complain about high losses in the ideal area, for example when events are canceled," said State Secretary for Sport Andrea Milz (CDU) on Wednesday in Düsseldorf. The prerequisite is that no government funds have been applied for beforehand.

From April 15th, an application for aid payment can be submitted to the State Sports Association (LSB). After a needs test, according to the spleen, “normally 60 percent are reimbursed per case”, with a few exceptions the maximum limit is 50,000 euros. A further three million euros are available for the trainers in the country.

Update at 12.47 p.m .: Armin Laschet responds thinly to the questions of ARD presenter Dunja Hayali. She confronted him with his poor poll ratings during the Corona crisis.

Corona in NRW: Laschet with clear demand for time after the crisis - confrontation with Söder?

Update at 10.27 a.m .: Armin Laschet (CDU) calls for better pay for nurses after the Corona crisis . "We now all rely on the nurses, they do an excellent job - more than they should," said the CDU politician on Wednesday in the ZDF morning magazine .

Corona virus - How the Union wrestles with itself

© dpa / Guido Kirchner

And that must also be reflected in wages after the crisis . This would require more collective agreements. "The Corona crisis shows how much society is dependent on these top performers," Laschet had also said to the Cologne City Gazette.

In addition, according to Laschet's assessment, if a gradual return to normality , smaller shops could initially reopen. Unlike his Bavarian colleague Markus Söder (CSU), he currently does not see the need for a mask . Laschet referred to a study that he had commissioned in the particularly affected district of Heinsberg and the results of which are still pending: "And then you will also be able to see: How do you really protect yourself best?"

Laschet said in the morning magazine that he does not expect a nationwide mask requirement in the fight against the spread of the corona virus . "I don't see a mask requirement for all of Germany at the moment."

Read also: With an emotional message in Corona times, the teachers of the Oberdingen Realschule addressed their students. The reactions to the 17-minute video were no less emotional.

Gangster duo wanted to enrich themselves with the help of the corona virus - arrest!

Update from April 8, 9:53 am: As if the whole corona crisis were n't bad enough. Now two crooks have tried to enrich themselves even in difficult times.

The police in North Rhine-Westphalia arrested two suspected fraudsters who are said to have profited from the Corona crisis . Investigators accuse a 57-year-old and a 60-year-old of having offered respiratory masks and disinfectants in large quantities through an online trade without actually having the goods, as the Aachen police announced on Wednesday. The two men's homes were searched on Tuesday.

In just a few days, the fraud would have taken them around 37,000 euros . Most of the money was secured when the company account was confiscated. The two suspects from Alsdorf have already been convicted of fraud.

Corona in NRW: The discrepancy between Laschet and Söder is becoming clearer

Update, 3:45 pm: In the debate about exit strategies from the conditions in the Corona crisis, North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) considers a roadmap to "vigilant, responsible normality" essential. At the same time, Laschet stressed in Düsseldorf on Tuesday the need to continue to comply with the current corona requirements. When interfering with fundamental rights, however, the question must be considered daily: "Is it still responsible or is it not responsible?"

"People have to recognize a plan," said Laschet. The current phase of containment of the coronavirus should be followed by a "phase of re-entry" and then a phase of "responsible normality". In the course of a gradual phase-out of the anti-corona measures, the Düsseldorf head of government advocated "flexible responses" in the regions affected by the pandemic to different extents .

When asked about the statement by Bavarian Prime Minister Söder on Tuesday that a mask requirement would "most likely" come *, Laschet evasively referred to his statement from last week at a press conference with Health Minister Jens Spahn. He had already said something about this - this showed the discrepancy with Söder, even if Laschet does not want to deal with it openly. Both are skeptical of such a mouthguard obligation in Germany. If it develops socially, "that everyone wants to protect the other, that's fine. I don't see any obligation," said Laschet at the time.

Coronavirus in NRW: extended family with 42 members under quarantine

Update, 9:56 a.m .: Three people were infected with the corona virus in an apartment building in Jöllenbeck near Bielefeld ( North Rhine-Westphalia), reports Bild . The health department then quarantined a large family with 42 members. "The family was very cooperative," a spokeswoman for the city told Bild on Monday.

Update of April 7, 9.48 a.m .: Prime Minister Armin Laschet informed on Tuesday at 2 p.m. the current political situation in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Corona in NRW: Abitur exams should take place

Update from April 7, 9.21 a.m.

: The high school exams in NRW should take place as planned, reports the WDR. The school-leaving dates had been postponed by three weeks to May 12th. However, it is still unclear whether the schools will reopen after the Easter holidays (from April 6 to 18). Students, parents and teachers have to be patient until April 15th. Only then should a decision be made.

In the fight against the spread of fake news in the corona crisis, Whatsapp is now relying on a function update.

Coronavirus in NRW: "The fight was worth it," said Laschet

Update of April 6, 3 p.m .: Good news for North Rhine-Westphalia: The German borders with the Netherlands and Belgium remain open. The state chancellery announced this via Twitter . Armin Laschet welcomed the decision in the attached video and said: “The fight was worth it, the Corona cabinet decided: The border remains open. [...] A good day for North Rhine-Westphalia. "

"The fight was worth it, the border remains open - a good day for North Rhine-Westphalia!" Prime Minister @ArminLaschet welcomes the decision of the federal government not to close the borders with the #Netherlands and #Belgium. #commoncorona #nrwkanndas pic.twitter.com/OForogpHYs

Corona crisis in NRW: almost 300 Covid-19 deaths - virologist with urgent warning

Our first report of April 6, 9:40 a.m .: Cologne - The Coronavirus * is spreading ever further in North Rhine-Westphalia . As the number of cases increases, virologist Hendrik Streeck warns against resuming school lessons. He is promoting corona research * on behalf of the NRW state government in the hard-hit district of Heinsberg with regard to the spread there.

Coronavirus in NRW: The current case numbers

The number of new infections and deaths in North Rhine-Westphalia is increasing day by day - despite exit restrictions and a ban on contact *. According to the Ministry of Health, 20,523 people are currently infected with the coronavirus *. 292 people died as a result of Sars-CoV-2 infection.

The cities and districts of Aachen (1,259 infected, 27 deaths), Heinsberg (1,461 infected, 44 deaths) and Cologne (1,738 infected, 44 deaths) are most severely affected.

Coronavirus in NRW: Virologist warns against resumption of teaching in schools

Hendrik Streeck , director of the Bonn Institute of Virology , warns that classes in North Rhine-Westphalia will be resumed. Caution should be exercised here. "If we open the schools too soon, we may create a multiplier for the virus, which can then be dangerous again," said the virologist . Calculating a risk is not easy. You know that most children can cope with an infection well, says Streeck. However, there is no reliable knowledge of how often children would infect their parents or grandparents unnoticed.

The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia had closed all schools until April 19 due to the coronavirus *. On April 15, it will be clear whether the schools will reopen or not. However, a possible extension of school closures could also have an impact on the Abitur exams. NRW School Minister Yvonne Gebauer (FDP) said: "If it is not possible to start school after the Easter holidays, we have to think again."

Meanwhile, doubts about RKI deaths are increasing. Are there really fewer corona deaths in Germany - or even significantly more? The situation is also coming to a head in Austria. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz spoke about the current state of affairs in a press conference on Monday morning.

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

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Martin Gerten