New records for corona infections and processes that are thousands of times difficult are putting politicians under pressure.
Now the traffic light partners and Olaf Scholz want to present their proposals in the Bundestag.
Berlin - In the middle of their coalition negotiations, the SPD, Greens and FDP want to redefine the corona course in Germany with a change to the Infection Protection Act.
The Bundestag is debating the relevant plans this Thursday.
After weeks of public restraint, the incumbent Vice Chancellor and SPD candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz also wants to speak.
Scholz and the traffic light partners were accused of inadequate reactions to the increasingly worsening corona situation by leading Union politicians.
FDP parliamentary group manager Marco Buschmann held against it.
“We are anchoring measures in the new package that have not yet been planned,” he told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Thursday).
Epidemic situation:
The prospective traffic light partners want to let the epidemic situation of national scope expire on November 25th - against the will of the still incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and, among others, of Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU).
The number of corona infections has been rising sharply for days.
The traffic light partners had stated that they still no longer considered the pandemic emergency as the basis for corona measures to be legally secure because many people are vaccinated.
Future opportunities for the countries:
This epidemic situation is to be replaced by a smaller catalog of possible measures that the countries can take.
In the 44-page draft of the prospective traffic light partners, distance requirements, mask requirements, hygiene requirements for schools or universities are also provided as options for the federal states.
This also includes a possible obligation to present proof of vaccination, recovery or test (2G or 3G) for events or restaurants, for example.
According to the draft, such measures should only be able to be applied until March 19, 2022.
General closings of schools, shops or large-scale bans on events should no longer be possible from the end of November.
Corona tests:
3G should come on the way in the workplace.
Employees in attendance should generally have to be vaccinated, recovered or tested for Corona.
The Federal Ministry of Labor is currently working on a corresponding template, which is expected to be added in the ongoing legislative process.
On Thursday in a week, the changes to the Infection Protection Act are to be decided in parliament and the next day in the Federal Council.
In addition, among other things, the free “citizen tests” are to be reintroduced from next week.
A corresponding draft by the managing health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) became known on Wednesday.
Conference of federal and state governments:
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) called for a new prime ministerial conference as soon as possible on Wednesday evening.
"We need a nationwide effort here again," said the CDU politician.
"The coronavirus does not take into account whether we currently have a managing government, whether we are currently negotiating coalition," emphasized the Chancellor.
Some state leaders, such as the SPD Prime Minister Malu Dreyer from Rhineland-Palatinate, did not consider a quick federal-state round to be necessary.
The FDP in the Bundestag had fundamentally denied the need for uniform action and referred to the different corona situation in the countries.
Expansion of 2G:
While some have been calling louder and louder for days to counter the increase in numbers in principle across the board with 2G in Germany, others reject this.
2G means that unvaccinated persons are denied access to events or restaurants, for example.
The regulations in the countries are very different here.
In Saxony, 2G has been in effect since the beginning of the week, Berlin will follow suit next Monday, in Bavaria it will be used in many areas.
Tests are sufficient elsewhere, although the range is high here too: while some countries require PCR tests for certain areas, a quick test is sufficient for others.
There are different regulations as to how long beforehand the rapid test must be carried out as a maximum.
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Health Minister Werner did not rule out a 2G obligation if the health system was overloaded.
The parliamentary groups are skeptical.
Several parliamentary groups against the 2G rule as a duty
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Trade association demands the right to information for employers - "wasted potential"
The corona pandemic is asking more and more companies how to deal with vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
In doing so, the trade association sees politics above all as having an obligation.
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Trade association demands the right to information for employers - "wasted potential"
Corona restrictions are no longer applicable in several federal states
Despite the feared increase in the number of infections in autumn and winter, the corona restrictions in some federal states are ending.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach warns.
Corona restrictions are no longer applicable in several federal states
However, the controls of the corona access rules are a problem.
Local associations are now warning restaurateurs and organizers.
"So the restaurateurs and organizers have a duty and shouldn't slender feet," said the managing director of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, of the German Press Agency.
The President of the German District Assembly, Richard Sager, announced in the "Rheinische Post" (Thursday) intensified inspections.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach said on the ARD program “Maischberger.
Die Woche ”:“ That has to be strictly controlled. ”For example, if a restaurant does not control 2G and then attracts attention, this should lead to six weeks of closure.
What about compulsory vaccination?
The current federal government and the traffic light parties reject it.
However, a large majority of Germans are in favor of compulsory corona vaccination, at least for certain professional groups.
In a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency, 44 percent even spoke out in favor of obliging all people in Germany to immunize against the dangerous virus.
Another 24 percent want to limit the obligation to individual professional groups such as nursing staff or hospital staff.
Only 27 percent are against compulsory vaccination in general.
dpa