Lauterbach: Further measures will still be necessary

Created: 01/10/2022, 04:55 AM

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach at a video conference of the Corona Expert Council.

© Michael Kappeler / dpa

The 2G-plus rule for gastronomy, which has just been agreed by the federal and state governments, is an important step, says the health minister.

But that will not be enough against the Omikron variant.

Berlin - Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expects that further measures will be necessary in the fight against the Omikron variant of the corona virus.

The SPD politician described the 2G-plus rule agreed by the federal and state governments in gastronomy and the new quarantine rules as successes on Sunday evening in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.

"I think that will help us." He added, however, that that will not be enough to defeat Omikron.

“I think the number of cases will increase.

Therefore, further action will be necessary in due course.

But that is now a very important step forward. "

The federal and state governments agreed on a 2G-plus regulation for restaurants, cafes and pubs on Friday.

According to this, only vaccinated and convalescent people with a negative corona test and people with a booster vaccination have access.

Additional 2G plus measures

The Green health politician Janosch Dahmen said in the ZDF program “Berlin direkt”: “We may have to decide on other indoor areas with 2G-plus measures as additional protection beyond the catering trade.” The Omikron wave is only just beginning. "And when we look at the neighboring countries, we see that there is a big problem everywhere that we have to deal with now."

When asked whether at some point only people with a booster vaccination could have access to the catering trade, Lauterbach said: “No, that doesn't necessarily mean that because we can take other measures. But I think it is important first of all to give the measures that we have now taken a chance to have an effect. "The more boosters we have in society, the harder it is for Omikron to build a strong wave."

The new Omikron variant was reported from South Africa in November, and its share in the infection rate in Germany is increasing rapidly.

It is much more contagious than the previously dominant delta variant.

At the same time, experts assume that Omikron tends to lead to milder disease processes and that infected people have to go to a clinic less often.

However, the Federal Government's Expert Council recently warned that the strong infection dynamics threaten to outweigh the advantage of the milder course of the disease.

Streek: "Pragmatic handling" of a pandemic

The Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck promoted a “pragmatic approach” to the pandemic, “in order to learn to live with the virus”. "On the other hand, the permanent alarm condition is tiring and unsuccessful," he told the "Bild" (Monday). However, Streeck warned that the exposure in the hospitals "should continue to be carefully monitored and, if necessary, respond with measures". This also includes “validly recording the hospitalization incidence”.

According to Lauterbach, the new quarantine rules agreed by the federal and state governments should come into force quickly. The rules would be implemented by the federal states, he said on Sunday in the ARD. "We are making a model ordinance." This will be "decided by the Bundestag and Bundesrat (...), so to speak - that will be done in the next week". Then the countries would have to react. "That will be a little different from country to country, but it will apply very quickly." The quarantine for contact persons and isolation for infected people will be shortened so that important infrastructures do not collapse in the event of the rapid spread of the Omikron variant.

Because no quick decision is foreseeable in the debate about a general vaccination requirement, the Green politician Dahmen reiterated his suggestion to expand the already decided vaccination requirement for health and care workers. "In view of the strong increase in new infections in the Omikron wave and the impending risk of massive staff losses in the area of ​​critical infrastructure, I think it makes sense and can be implemented at short notice to expand the facility-related vaccination requirement to other areas such as the police, fire brigade and the penal system", he said to the "Tagesspiegel" (Monday).

In December, the Bundestag and Bundesrat decided on compulsory corona vaccination for employees in facilities with particularly vulnerable people such as nursing homes and clinics.

They have to prove by mid-March 2022 that they have been vaccinated or have recovered.

At the weekend, the SPD and the Greens had dampened expectations of a swift decision by the Bundestag to make vaccinations mandatory.

Significantly increasing seven-day incidence

The seven-day incidence of new corona infections in Germany had risen significantly again in the past few days.

The health ministers of the federal states will also discuss the situation on Monday.

Nothing was known in advance about the topics.

In addition, demonstrations against the corona policy are planned again.

Tens of thousands of people protested in various cities over the weekend.

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After the Christmas break, schools will start again in eight federal states this Monday.

There are precautions because of the corona pandemic and the rapidly spreading virus variant Omikron.

In the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, all pupils, teachers and other employees at the schools are to be tested on the first day after the holidays.

In Bavaria, vaccinated and recovered pupils also have to test themselves regularly.

In Baden-Württemberg, too, tests are initially being carried out more intensely in schools for six weeks.

Schools are also starting again in Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Bremen.

In the eight other federal states, lessons had already started again in the past few days.

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