Strict rules made visits to grandparents impossible for many children for weeks. They would be theoretically compatible with the latest easing - but are they also justifiable?
Berlin (dpa) - Given the relaxed contact restrictions, visits by children to grandma and grandpa are according to geriatricians under certain conditions unproblematic.
"A visit of the grandchildren to the grandparents for a limited time, without physical contact and in compliance with the now known hygiene rules is certainly not a problem," says Hans Jürgen Heppner, President of the German Society for Geriatrics.
But he also says: "We all know how much families, and especially grandparents, suffer from not being able to meet each other. But take it slow so that we don't run the risk of restrictions having to be reintroduced."
The population has learned a lot about hygiene rules, discipline and mutual respect in the past few weeks, explains Heppner. Therefore, it was definitely time to think again about how families could meet reasonably. But he also emphasized: "Sars-CoV-2 has not yet disappeared! Corona is still lurking around the corner." Despite all the negative effects of isolation and restrictions on contact on physical and mental well-being, reasonable action must continue to be taken.
The virologist Hans Georg Kräusslich also refers to the responsibility of the individual when it comes to the question of whether children can now visit grandma and grandpa again. "Even with lower numbers of new infections, the virus is still present in Germany and the risk in the event of an infection for particularly vulnerable people has not changed," recalls the doctor.
From a medical point of view, Kräusslich does not consider a clear recommendation to be sensible. Rather, the gradual loosening of restrictions by politics would "make individual protection and prevention of spread more responsibility for the individual". This applies not only to visits to grandparents.
Anyone who ultimately decides to see grandchildren and grandparents in person should take safety precautions, says infectious disease specialist Janne Vehreschild: "If you sit together in a confined space and breathe the same air, there will be a risk of infection if someone carries the virus . " Therefore: "If you want to protect yourself, you should keep your distance, smile with a smile instead of kissing or hugging. And if in doubt, wear a mask."
Vehreschild, on the other hand, thinks exaggeratedly careful not to touch anything when the grandparents visit: "The fact that the virus sticks to the towel in the bathroom, comes from there and gets into the mucous membranes at some point - that is very unlikely." The risk of spreading the virus over an area is not zero, he says. "But the fact that one no longer divides the ladle out of caution is such a detail optimization that is not relevant to the other risks of such a visit. I would not do that."
The federal government and the federal states decided on Wednesday to fundamentally extend the existing contact restrictions until June 5 - with the relaxation that members of two households can now meet. In this connection, Chancellor Angela Merkel had continued to be particularly careful when dealing with older people.