Jens Spahn had to answer questions from the Bundestag.
The SPD attacks the health minister harder than the opposition.
The trouble is not over.
Berlin / Munich - The Minister looks sovereign in his appearance.
Only the little piece of paper in his hands tells a different story.
A sheet of paper, folded, folded again, kneaded, smoothed out, turned over - there is a certain tension in its owner on this paper.
No wonder: In a very delicate phase of the pandemic, after anger with the Chancellor and unpleasant thick headlines in the newspapers, Jens Spahn has to report to the Bundestag.
70 moderately comfortable minutes.
As a “government survey”, this is a formalized ritual in parliament.
The Bundestag sets a high pace, exchanges of blows every 30 to 60 seconds.
This is to prevent pre-cut statements.
The risk for Spahn: From one minute to the next he can talk about his head and neck.
His luck on this day: the MPs ask softly.
Corona conflict between Merkel and Spahn: grace period for "breakdown ministers" until March 3rd
The minister has come up with a few nice sentences.
“We thought we were on the right track,” he says heavily, “but this virus is not giving up.
We are tired, tired of pandemics.
Not the virus. ”The 40-year-old is sticking to the course of caution.
It would be more exciting to ask him about his conflict with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
At short notice she had put a brake on his plans to introduce free rapid tests in centers, practices and pharmacies nationwide from March 1.
Now the federal-state round is to talk about it on March 3, embed the tests in an overall concept for easing.
Of the “rapid test debacle”, the
picture
writes
that the “breakdown minister” was “duped”.
But even the opposition spared the minister with detailed questions.
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Jens Spahn (CDU) is described as a “breakdown minister” these days.
In the Bundestag he stands upright but is tense to answer questions.
© JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP
Corona self-tests: The day starts with a quick action in the morning
How much Spahn is under pressure can be seen anyway, even before the meeting.
In the morning, the ministry tries to shift the debate to tests.
In a quick action, Spahn announced the approval of three self-tests for laypeople for the first time on breakfast television.
The pace even surprises the participating Siemens group, one can hear.
There are now three major test options in the medium term.
The official PCR tests (free in Bavaria) are very reliable, but the evaluation of the throat swabs by laboratories takes one to three days.
The official incidences are calculated with them.
So far, Spahn's rapid tests have been available in many cities for a lot of money from trained staff and only take a few minutes.
Such fresh rapid tests are suitable for proving one's health in everyday life, even before traveling.
Offering them free of charge, Spahn's announcement that Merkel has slowed down, is still pending.
And the new self-tests are useful as a third pillar, for example before visiting family, maybe even under supervision for schools and daycare centers or before entering the theater.
“These little things,” says Spahn in the Bundestag and means the tests, the pharmaceutical industry could quickly reproduce millions of times.
He only evades the questions of who should pay that.
But that is exactly what is tricky.
Spahn wanted to pay for the organized rapid tests, perhaps with a contribution of one euro.
The self-tests for laypeople, on the other hand - between two and ten euros each - should be paid for by the federal states at least for schools and daycare centers;
they are not enthusiastic about it.
SPD criticizes Spahn the hardest: "Must also have a plan how it should work"
Spahn also pushes the buck to the countries when it comes to vaccination.
He demands 300,000 vaccinations per day: "The doses are there, now I'm assuming that we are accelerating in the federal states." For the federal government, he announces a digital vaccination certificate, in addition to the yellow booklet.
The Union demonstratively gives Spahn a lot of applause in the Bundestag.
Ironically, he experiences the greatest anger from the coalition partner.
SPD parliamentary group manager Carsten Schneider attacks the minister in front of journalists.
"Too much announcement, too little substance," he calls the rapid test plans.
"When I announce something, I have to have a plan beforehand how it should work," said Schneider.
"I lack the necessary seriousness."
(Cd)
List of rubric lists: © JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP
