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Karl Lauterbach
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Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) defended the latest federal-state resolutions to contain the coronavirus, but at the same time did not rule out tougher steps. "What we decided today has an impact," said Lauterbach on Tuesday evening in an interview with ARD "Tagesthemen". “But we're not ruling anything out. So if the number of cases actually developed in such a way that a hard lockdown also had to be discussed, then there would be no red lines. We're not there at the moment. "
In order to curb the rapid spread of the Omikron variant, the federal and state governments have adopted extensive restrictions on private and public life. But they should only apply after Christmas. From December 28th at the latest, an upper limit of ten people should generally apply for private meetings. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also reached an agreement with the state premiers to close clubs and discos and empty tiers at football matches and other major events.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) called for much more far-reaching measures on Tuesday shortly before the federal-state round, including immediate maximum contact restrictions. This sparked criticism during the deliberations. Lauterbach said in the newspaper that there was no scientific censorship, but the publication was "not coordinated," as the dpa news agency learned from participants. That shouldn't happen.
In the ARD, Lauterbach expressed himself more cautiously in the evening.
»I also attach great importance to the scientific advice provided by the RKI, we work hand in hand.
But within the framework of the RKI's scientific work, there can sometimes be a requirement that we do not implement immediately, «he said.
Together with RKI President Lothar Wieler, Lauterbach wants to inform again about the Corona situation in Germany this Wednesday in Berlin.
cop / dpa