Jens Spahn wrote a letter to the party leaders of a possible traffic light government.
It's about Corona - and with which changes rules could be enforced.
Berlin - On the one hand, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) is in favor of the "epidemic situation of national importance" in Germany being phased out. This was confirmed by a spokesman at the beginning of the week (October 18). On the other hand, he apparently wants certain corona measures to be able to continue to be ordered regionally and at the state level. This is "absolutely necessary", even if the nationwide state of emergency corona could expire at the end of November. At least that is what a letter from the minister dated October 15 to the party and faction leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP - the traffic light parties - said.
The letter is available to
Bild
and the German Press Agency.
Spahn is addressing the parties that could govern Germany in the future.
He would then no longer be Minister of Health.
The coalition negotiations are due to start on Thursday (October 21).
Spahn makes traffic light suggestions as to how certain measures could be further ordered regionally
In the letter agreed with Chancellor Helge Braun (CDU *), Spahn points out two ways in which his wish could be legally implemented. Either Paragraph 28a of the Infection Protection Act, in which the known Corona measures are listed, could be changed so that the measures are no longer linked to the existence of a nationwide "epidemic situation of national scope". This would give the state governments a free hand to regularly update their Corona ordinances as before.
Alternatively, the federal states could also have the further applicability of this paragraph and thus the measures determined via their state parliaments - that would then be a kind of "epidemic situation" at the state level so that masks, 3G or other measures can be further ordered.
The Infection Protection Act expressly provides for this possibility.
Spahn turns to traffic light parties: "I encourage an understanding on how to proceed"
"As Federal Minister of Health *, I propose an agreement on how to proceed in this matter between the parties that are currently negotiating a governing coalition," the letter says.
Spahn himself had spoken out in favor of not extending the exceptional Corona * state at the federal level beyond November 25th.
In addition, there is currently a lot of discussion about 2G in supermarkets *.
(dpa / cibo) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.