Icon: enlarge
Chancellor Merkel with Berlin's Governing Mayor Müller and Bavaria's Prime Minister Söder (archive photo)
Photo:
Fabrizio Bensch / dpa
After long discussions, the federal and state governments have agreed on incidence values that should be decisive for opening steps or further tightening of the corona measures.
SPIEGEL learned this from negotiating circles at the video conference between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country leaders.
Accordingly, the seven-day incidence of 35 new infections per 100,000 population is off the table as a benchmark for relaxation.
Instead, the value 50 should apply.
In future, the incidence of 35 will only apply to the expansion of contact options.
The agreement on the value 50 is a departure from the decisions that the federal and state governments made at their last meeting on February 10th.
At that time it was agreed that further opening steps would only be possible with a stable seven-day incidence of no more than 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Since then, however, it has not only been criticized from the scientific side that this de facto rules out easing, because incidences of 35 are not achievable in many places - among other things because of the spread of more contagious corona mutations.
In their video conference, the federal and state governments also stipulated that easing should be withdrawn if the incidence rises above 100 on three consecutive days.
Then the current rules should apply again from the second following working day.
The group had already agreed on several things beforehand:
The currently applicable shutdown will be extended until March 28, the federal states are adapting their regulations accordingly.
At the same time, according to the resolution, the first easing should come into force next Monday.
The possibility of private get-togethers with friends, relatives and acquaintances will therefore be expanded again: private get-togethers between your own household and another household are then allowed again, but limited to a maximum of five people.
Children up to the age of 14 are not counted, couples count as household items.
In regions with a seven-day incidence of less than 35 new infections per week, further contacts should be allowed: Then private get-togethers with two other households with a total of a maximum of ten people should be allowed - children up to 14 years are excluded.
The changes to the contact restrictions provide for a so-called emergency brake, with which the easing can be lifted again: If the so-called seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants increases to over 100 on three consecutive days, the currently applicable rules apply again from the second following working day .
Then the possibility of private get-togethers is again restricted to one's own household and one other person.
In addition, the vaccination campaign is to be expanded to include general practitioners.
You should be involved in the corona vaccinations by the beginning of April at the latest.
The Health Ministers' Conference is to develop a concept for this.
According to SPIEGEL information, there was criticism of the federal government on the subject of corona tests, in particular of Health Minister Jens Spahn.
He had initially promised free rapid tests for everyone from March 1;
however, this requirement was collected by Chancellor Merkel.
Now the tests should not be available until the beginning of April (read more about rapid tests here).
More soon on SPIEGEL.de
Icon: The mirror
ulz / flo
