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

2020-05-08T04:21:21.146Z


Merkel and the country heads have agreed: From 50 new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants, a tough restriction concept must be implemented in municipalities. Bavaria is also affected.


Merkel and the country heads have agreed: From 50 new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants, a tough restriction concept must be implemented in municipalities. Bavaria is also affected.

  • 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 2:01 p.m .: In addition to Rosenheim in Bavaria, the 98,000 district of Greiz in southeast Thuringia is considered

Corona stronghold. With 85 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within the past seven days, Greiz not only leads a sad nationwide infection record. The district thus serves the factor 50, which Angela Merkel's emergency brake regulation provides for, in order to cause a lockdown. 

But where do the high infection numbers come from in Greiz? In Rosenheim, the high number of infected people 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 - each with more than 500 guests. 

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 was 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 in an interview with this  brand that it is questionable and unfairFocus.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 for 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 this, 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 urban districts 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.

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. An "emergency mechanism" agreed with the federal states is important for this, she said on Wednesday in Berlin after consulting with the Prime Minister. "If regional sources 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 there, 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 Germany's top rank in 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 past 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 high need for discussion. 

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

mb / dpa

Rubric list image: © Michael Kappeler / dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-05-08

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