The strict corona measures have now also been relaxed in Bavaria, but the economy continues to suffer. Prime Minister Söder announces new aid.
- An important easing of the Corona * crisis has taken effect in Bavaria since Friday (May 8).
- In March, the number of guests and overnight stays in the Free State plummeted.
- The forecast for April looks even bleaker.
- Here you will find our guide to reporting and the Corona News from Germany. You will also find current case numbers in Bavaria * as a map. The following recommendations for corona protective measures are currently available. The most important thing about Corona is also available on our Facebook page Corona News.
Update, 10.15 p.m .: After a patient died in a clinic in the Deggendorf district after an infection with the coronavirus *, the criminal investigation determined. Now there is a drastic step that has far-reaching consequences for other patients in the clinic.
Corona: Bavarian study promises groundbreaking insights - Söder announces further financial aid
Update, 9:15 p.m .: More cultural workers in Bavaria should be entitled to financial aid due to the Corona crisis . "We will definitely make another cultural program," announced Prime Minister Markus Söder . This should include a concept of how cultural events could be possible under certain conditions . "Orientation to the distance solutions for services is a good approach," Söder told the newspaper.
So far, solo self-employed persons who are insured in the artists' social security fund have been supported. The state government is therefore considering expanding the group of recipients with the criterion of default fees. "It seems to me to be better than any lump sum because artists have very different income," said Söder . Non-governmental cultural businesses should also receive additional funding. The new program could obviously be decided next week .
Corona virus in Bavaria: demands for border controls to end are growing louder
Update, 9.01 p.m .: In southern Germany , Austria and Switzerland, demands for a quick end to border controls are becoming louder. There are hardly any differences in the infection situation, the restrictions are no longer appropriate - the restrictions should be lifted by May 15 at the latest, the chambers of industry and commerce ( IHK ) for Munich and Upper Bavaria and the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce now demand "Our closely interlinked economic area is dependent on cross-border traffic without any obstacles and obstacles, ”said IHK general manager Manfred Gößl.
The almost complete suppression of the free movement of people is no longer objectively justifiable, it says in a joint statement. No state budget and no support program could compensate for the loss of the lockdown , short-time work and unemployment would add: "Every day counts."
Bavaria's Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann (CSU) advocated opening small, completely closed border crossings again and making commuting easier for commuters. But "I don't see that we can do without border controls altogether in the near future ."
Corona in Bavaria: Hospitals fear rush of visitors - "Would have wished that ..."
Update, 4:20 p.m .: Hospitals and homes fear a rush for visitors this weekend after being closed for weeks . As a precaution, the Bavarian Hospital Society has now published an appeal to citizens to inform themselves beforehand about the restrictions that still apply.
"We have the impression that the numerous requirements that are stipulated in an infection protection regulation are not sufficiently known to the general public," said Siegfried Hasenbein, managing director of the Bavarian Hospital Society.
In hospitals , every visitor must be registered in writing, and each patient can only receive one contact person at fixed times. Masks and a minimum distance of 1.5 meters are also required. Visits with children or the whole family are still not possible. Only one patient may be visited in a double or multi-bed room. Similar rules apply to old people's and nursing homes .
For clinics and homes , the opening means more work: "A potential rush of visitors at the weekend means above all a higher personnel expenditure for our houses, from scheduling visits to monitoring the distance and hygiene rules, " says a spokeswoman for the welfare of workers. "For personnel planning, especially at the weekend, we would have liked politicians to have a little more lead time ."
Skeptics and critics stand out with their opinions during the Corona crisis. Was the lockdown necessary in this form?
Corona: Bavarian study promises groundbreaking insights into the virus - "You know that ..."
Update from 3:12 pm: In Bavaria, 44,295 people have now tested positive for the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus . 2134 people died who were infected with the pathogen. This was announced by the State Office for Health and Food Safety in Erlangen on Friday (at 10 a.m.) on its website. The estimated number of people recovered was 37,050.
By setting up its own test center for protective equipment, Bavaria wants to improve the supply of masks, suits and gloves to the population in the corona crisis. "With the new test center, Bavaria is ensuring that a quick and safe assessment of the protective effect of protective equipment can be carried out in the crisis, after the crisis and before the next crisis," said Consumer Protection Minister Thorsten Glauber (Free Voter) in Munich on Friday.
Corona: Bavarian study promises groundbreaking insights into the virus - "You know that ..."
Update from 1.45 p.m .: A planned study was presented today at the Regensburg University Hospital. It bears the name "Prospective Covid-19 Cohort Tirschenreuth (TiKoCo19)" . The university clinics of Regensburg and Erlangen want to determine the undisclosed number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the joint study . The study is regionally limited to the Tirschenreuth district . For this purpose, around five percent of the population - around 3,600 people aged six and over - should be tested for antibodies. The tests take place at three different times: The first test should take place in late May or early June, and the second time that the study participants will be tested four to six months later. The third test takes place four to six months later.
The aim of the study is to gain knowledge that is also of national importance. The Free State of Bavaria supports the study financially. "You know that many people probably had Corona without knowing it," said Bernd Sibler, Bavarian Minister of State for Science and Art. However, the correct number of infected people can provide information about the spread of the virus - and about the so-called herd immunity. How many people have actually become infected is important information for assessing the current situation. The aim of the regional study is to gain knowledge that is also of national importance.
Antibody study in the district of Tirschenreuth: the press conference for reading
Update from 1:13 p.m .: The test procedure for the study is summarized: 3,600 participants are repeatedly asked to take the test, at a total of three times. The first is as timely as possible, explains Wagner. A second test takes place after four to six months, a third test takes place again after four to six months. It is still unclear exactly when the study will start, but a few permits still need to be obtained. The researchers hope that the first phase will begin in late May or early June, says Wagner.
When evaluating the data, expertise should also be obtained from independent bodies, thereby ensuring an independent result.
The press conference is over.
Update from 1:02 p.m .: Tobias Reiss, member of the Bavarian state parliament (Tirschenreuth district), thanks Prime Minister Markus Söder. A month ago he decided that the Tirschenreuth district should also be taken into account in a study. The aim of the study is to gain knowledge that is also of national importance. "Tirschenreuth was a hotspot", there are still the highest numbers of infected people, but "we too are feeling the relief", says Reiss. "The people in the region will participate," he assured with regard to the study.
District Administrator Roland Grillmeier, District Administrator in the Tirschenreuth district, is also at the press conference. "We are happy and grateful that we are now receiving some scientific support." The number of cases would improve at the moment, but the crisis had not yet been overcome.
Update from 12.53 p.m .: Prof. Dr. Ralf Wagner from the Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene at the University of Regensburg now explains the details of the planned study. It is a prospective study, "we want an inventory", says Ralf Wagner. It should be checked at intervals of several months how the situation has developed. The district of Tirschenreuth has around 72,000 inhabitants, "we will move randomly," said Wagner. Around five percent, i.e. around 3,600 people aged six and over, are to be tested. It should start in May when everything is going well. The second and third test waves are to follow four to six months later.
"It's a complicated study," adds Wagner. The capacities also had to be created, for example in the test laboratories. A test was also developed for this purpose. Prof. Dr. Klaus Überla, head of virology in Erlangen, provides further information. "We want to develop confirmation tests", so that it is better to differentiate between false positive and true positive tests.
Corona in the Tirschenreuth district: Antibody study should provide information
Update from 12.46 p.m .: Antibodies are to be detected in the planned study in the Tirschenreuth district. "You know that many people probably had Corona without knowing it," said Sibler. The correct number of infected people can provide information about the spread of the virus - and the so-called herd immunity, adds Sibler. The Free State is spending € 650,000 on this study.
Update from 12.30 p.m .: A study is presented in the Regensburg University Hospital. Prof. Dr. Oliver Kölbl, medical director of the clinic begins. The research project is co-financed by the Free State of Bavaria, he explains.
Prof. Dr. Udo Hebel, President of the University of Regensburg, explains: "Science and the universities face a special social challenge." Bernd Sibler, Bavarian Minister of State for Science and Art, also emphasizes the importance of science in the Corona crisis.
Corona in Bavaria: border opening to Austria soon?
Update from 10:57 am: The opening of the border between Germany and Austria is moving closer in Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz . The infection rate is currently lower in Austria than in the Federal Republic. "Therefore, I also assume that the border with Germany will open before the summer," said Kurz at a video conference with representatives of the hospitality industry on Friday in Vienna.
The government also exchanges with its German partners almost every day. Opening a border is not only important from a tourist point of view, but also for many families who are currently separated by border controls . The same applies to commuters and all those who simply have to travel for professional reasons.
Corona in Bavaria: Study should show unreported number of SARS-CoV-2 infections
Update from 10.46 a.m .: The Tirschenreuth district is particularly badly affected by the spread of the corona virus. Now the University Hospitals of Regensburg and Erlangen want to determine the undisclosed number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a joint study . Science Minister Bernd Sibler (CSU) will present the project together with the participating researchers at the university clinic in Regensburg on Friday (12.30 p.m.). The study is scheduled to start in mid-May and is said to contribute to antibody research. You can watch the press conference here in the live stream.
Corona in Bavaria: Important easing comes into force today - Serious figures for the tourism industry
First report from May 8, 9:43 p.m.
On Tuesday, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder announced the Free State's exit strategy from the Corona crisis . Together with other ministers - including Minister of Culture Michael Piazolo and Minister of Economics Hubert Aiwanger - he presented a plan for how schools, day-care centers, restaurants and hotels should continue. You can find all the details in our overview.
An important easing already comes into force on Friday (May 8th). Members of two households can meet again, Söder had previously announced that.
Relief with care: From tomorrow on, members of two households can meet again in private and public spaces in Bavaria. #Bavaria is thus quickly implementing the federal-state decision. But more freedom also means caution and responsibility for everyone.
- Florian Herrmann (@fwhfreising) May 7, 2020Coronavirus in Bavaria: Aiwanger causes a sensation with its statement
Aiwanger caused a sensation on Thursday (May 7) with a view to gastronomy . "I don't believe in a second wave. But there are leading infectiologists who are urgently warning of a second wave. As an economic politician, I do not hope and I am also orienting my policy so that there will not be a second wave, because if I were to expect a second wave now, I would not be allowed to open the restaurant. ”He said that at the Bavarian state parliament meeting Committee on Economic and Regional Development, Energy, Media and Digitization.
Hotels will soon be able to open again, as Söder announced at a press conference on Tuesday: "At Pentecost, we will allow hotels and tourism, so from May 30th, Pentecost Saturday. Hotels are allowed to open under hygienic requirements. ”In March, the number of guests and overnight stays in the Free State dropped sharply . According to the Bavarian State Office for Statistics, according to the preliminary results of the monthly survey in tourism, the approximately 10,980 open accommodation establishments reported only one million guests for March. This is a decrease of 61.5 percent compared to the same month last year.
Corona crisis in Bavaria: Tourism figures in the Free State plummeted
The number of overnight stays also fell significantly in the Corona crisis. It slumped 53.4 percent to below 3.2 million. All government districts were equally affected by the massive declines, as the Bavarian State Office for Statistics announced.
The number of domestic guests declined by 58.4 percent, and demand from abroad even dropped by 71.8 percent. All types of accommodation were affected. Youth hostels suffered the greatest losses compared to the previous month (65.5 percent fewer guest arrivals ), followed by campsites (- 65.4 percent) and hotels (- 63.5 percent)
Coronavirus in the Free State: Tourism forecast for April is even darker
The reason was worldwide travel warnings and border closings . "Since the introduction of travel restrictions from March 18, 2020, the accommodation companies can only offer their accommodation options for necessary, but no longer for tourist purposes," it continues. Due to the ongoing Corona crisis, the State Statistical Office expects April to have an even greater impact on tourism results.
“The preliminary results for March included reports from 94.9 percent of Bavarian accommodation providers. The information from the companies, of which no information was available for March 2020, has been estimated, ”says the State Statistical Office. This makes the numbers very representative.
There is movement in the border dispute. Bavaria is now also talking about opening the borders in the south and east. Federal Interior Minister Seehofer wants to decide on it next week. That would mean: before Pentecost holidays. *
No restrictions were imposed in Sweden during the Corona crisis. This path was followed critically abroad. Apparently everything is geared towards rapid herd immunity. *
According to polarizing statements about the corona crisis, several products by TV chef Attila Hildmann are flying off the shelves.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
came / dpa
