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Jens Spahn continues to advocate precautionary measures
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via www.imago-images.de / imago images / Political-Moments
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) believes that the so-called epidemic situation of national scope in the corona pandemic should expire - despite great criticism of this attitude.
In the ZDF “heute-journal” he said on Sunday: “The state of emergency, established by the Bundestag, can, in my opinion, be ended because four out of five adults are vaccinated.”
This topic has been controversial for days, also in view of the currently increasing number of infections in Germany.
Critics fear a "patchwork quilt" of measures and regulations if the "epidemic situation of national scope" expires.
Spahn said that this would not declare the pandemic over.
»Like many others, I keep saying that we still need precautionary measures in autumn and winter, especially 3G - vaccinated, recovered, tested - indoors, especially medical protective masks, AHA rules, on buses and trains, in retail. «
Greens are calling for federal transitional regulation
A change in the law would make it possible for the federal states and local authorities to take these measures independently of the state of emergency.
“I also expressly support that.” He also strongly advocates the fact that there are special protective measures in schools and care facilities, for example.
Not everything is as it was before Corona.
"We are now in a state of particular caution where certain protective measures continue to apply."
The Bundestag extended the "epidemic situation of national importance" for a further three months at the end of August.
It expires automatically if it is not renewed by Parliament.
The "epidemic situation" gives federal and state governments the authority to issue ordinances on corona measures such as mask requirements, distance and contact restrictions or the procurement of vaccines.
In the discussion about an early end to the epidemic situation of national scope, the Greens are calling for a transitional regulation under federal law.
"In order to take into account the new situation and the number of people vaccinated, we propose instead a legally secure transitional arrangement that allows certain measures to be continued for a limited period of time," said the Green right-wing politician Manuela Rottmann of the newspaper "Welt".
To keep the epidemic situation unchanged, however, is the "wrong answer".
The situation is currently different from last autumn, "because we are no longer at the mercy of the virus because of the vaccinations," said Rottmann.
But the situation is "still serious, because the number of infections is increasing significantly".
The Greens group was "in discussion" on the question of what a transitional arrangement could look like.
tfb / dpa / AFP