Corona summit: Not only the CSU calls for an "exit strategy" from the pandemic

Created: 01/24/2022, 12:54 p.m

By: Tobias Utz, Kerstin Kesselgruber, Nico Scheck

The federal government is meeting with the heads of the federal states for the next Corona summit.

Calls for easing are getting louder.

All information in the news ticker.

• Today, Monday (January 24th, 2022), the federal and state governments are meeting for a Corona summit*.

• The number of cases in the Corona crisis* has been higher than ever for days, mainly because of the omicron variant.

  Chancellor Olaf Scholz* has so far rejected easing the corona measures.

• You can find out what is in the draft resolution of the Corona summit and what is being decided today in our live ticker.

+++ 12.38 p.m .:

There are new record numbers of new corona infections and incidences due to omicron every day.

Nevertheless, many in politics are considering relaxing the rules.

The Prime Ministers have been speaking at their conference (MPK) since 11:30 a.m., and Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to join them at 2 p.m.

The head of the FDP state parliamentary group in North Rhine-Westphalia, Christof Rasche, demanded in advance that the world relax at major events and that the 2G regulation in retail and 2G plus in restaurants be abolished.

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann from the same FDP state association is more cautious: if the peak has been passed and the numbers in the hospitals have also fallen, the measures would have to be relaxed, he said on ARD at “Anne Will”*.

"This is of course."

The rather cautious Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) sees it similarly: “Once we have that behind us, then of course the restrictions cannot remain.

And then, step by step, openings would be made again.

It is right to consider that now,” explained Lauterbach.

The draft resolution for the Corona summit * says: “The federal and state governments will develop opening perspectives for the moment when an overload of the health system can be ruled out.”

Corona summit today: Hendrik Wüst (CDU), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, speaks to his counterparts at the beginning of the digital Prime Minister's Conference (MPK), including Manuela Schwesig (SPD), Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

NRW is currently chairing the MPK.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Corona summit live: CSU calls for “exit strategy” from the pandemic

+++ 10.20 a.m .:

CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt called for a “clever” strategy before the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK) from the federal and state governments on Monday in order to “move out of the pandemic little by little”.

Dobrindt told the "Welt" (Monday edition) before the Corona summit: "The status of the pandemic will be different with Omikron." Therefore, the assessment standards would also have to be adjusted.

"It is important to recognize and absorb the effects of fatigue in society."

In view of the usually mild course of an omicron infection, the central criterion cannot be the incidence.

"The central question must be: How burdened is the health system?" Dobrindt told the newspaper.

"This question must be the basis for all federal and state decisions," he said.

Markus Söder had also called for a more relaxed approach to the pandemic (see update at 6:05 a.m.).

The federal and state governments want to discuss the corona protection regulations this Monday from 2 p.m.

In view of the mild course at Omikron, the central benchmark for corona rules could not be the incidence, said Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) before the corona summit.

© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

Corona summit: Olaf Scholz rejects easing

Update from Monday, January 24th, 2022, 6:05 a.m .:

There are no options for the Chancellor*.

Olaf Scholz rejects easing of the Corona crisis due to the current situation.

"We don't need a course correction," Scholz told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

He feels it is “certainly not appropriate to relax the rules across the board in the middle of the omicron wave”.

In contrast to Scholz in Berlin, Markus Söder in Bavaria is suddenly in favor of a relaxed approach to the Corona crisis.

In an interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine, the Bavarian Prime Minister demanded the possibility of "more participation" in sports, cultural and leisure facilities.

Both Scholz and Söder will take part in today's Corona summit.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will lead the Corona summit on Friday.

(Archive photo) © HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/AFP

Corona summit: draft resolution is available - expert council makes surprising recommendation

+++ 5.12 p.m .:

The draft resolution for the Corona summit leaked in advance *.

Apparently, the main focus is on expanding the vaccination campaign, prioritizing testing and maintaining the current corona measures.

+++ 3.41 p.m .:

Before the Corona summit, Markus Söder spoke out in favor of easing.

The CSU boss explained to the Augsburger Allgemeine: “Bavaria will not support any tightening in the Prime Ministers’ Conference, but will adapt the rules in individual places.

We want to enable more participation again in culture, sport and youth work.”

Corona summit: expert council surprises with recommendation for rules

Update from Sunday, January 23rd, 2022, 6:30 a.m.:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council issued a surprising recommendation in view of the high incidence values ​​and case numbers. Accordingly, the committee does not recommend any new corona tightening in Germany. Instead, the existing regulations would have to be retained and consistently implemented, it said. In addition, further measures would have to be prepared: "Under the currently applicable contact restrictions, the incidences will continue to rise and it can be assumed that medical care will be restricted at least regionally".

The experts described the hospitalization rate as an important indicator.

As soon as this exceeds a critical mark, new restrictions have to be discussed.

Which value is considered critical remained open.

Instead of tightening, loosening is even possible, according to the expert council.

However, one should not be fooled by the currently low hospitalization rate (Friday: 3.77), it said.

"The hospitalization rate is lower than expected for the Delta variant, but would have to be an order of magnitude (roughly a factor of 10) lower than last winter in order to compensate for the expected high number of cases and not to overload the health system."

If the number of cases and hospital admissions decrease, contact restrictions could be “gradually reduced”, the statement said.

Corona summit: PCR plan becomes the central topic

+++ 10.35 p.m .:

One of the most important topics at the Corona summit on Monday with representatives of the federal and state governments is a new test regulation that is expected by many parties.

For example, the editorial network Germany reports on a draft bill that proposes that health care staff be tested “to maintain a functioning health and care system”.

The background is a shortage of PCR test capacities due to the high number of infections caused by the omicron variant.

In some cities and districts, incidences of more than 1000 are currently being registered.

According to information from the editorial network, some federal states would even order fewer PCR tests.

In addition, the contact tracing of infected people should be focused on fewer areas.

General Practitioners' Association welcomes new rule for corona tests when test capacities are tight

The German Association of General Practitioners has also spoken out in favor of the planned easing of the PCR test strategy: "I would welcome it if, in the future, PCR tests no longer have to be carried out to confirm every antigen test - especially if the test capacities are now running out," said its national chairman Ulrich Credit to the RND.

"Medically, it makes no sense to also have to do a PCR test after a positive antigen test and clear symptoms." Especially for patients who have had contact with infected people, no additional PCR test is necessary after a positive antigen test, explained Weigeldt.

Before the Corona summit: Zoff about compulsory vaccination - some countries are calling for a postponement

+++ 4:22 p.m .:

Before the Corona summit on Monday, the planned compulsory vaccination is suddenly on the brink.

The partial vaccination requirement for nursing and hospital staff should actually be introduced in mid-March.

As the Tagesspiegel reports, however, some federal states are pushing for a postponement.

The reason: You want to wait until the introduction of the new inactivated vaccine from the manufacturer Novavax.

The first shipment of 1.75 million doses is said to be available from February 21, but two shots could delay launch by several weeks.

The topic could also be on the agenda of the new federal-state meeting on the corona pandemic this Monday, it said.

Corona summit: dispute before MPK - Prime Minister calls for new easing

+++ 10.15 a.m .:

Rainer Haseloff, Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, called for new easing before the Corona summit.

“Basically, it is important to remember that the federal government has ended the pandemic situation of national scope.

This means that we - nationally speaking - are back in normal waters.

Politicians have significantly fewer opportunities to make restrictions," said the CDU politician of the world on Sunday.

Haseloff told the newspaper that politics could "not constantly tighten up" and "restrict fundamental rights".

Relaxation is necessary in order not to lose “the support of the population”.

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach had previously warned against easing restrictions (see update from 6.30 a.m.).

Corona summit: Lauterbach warns of easing

Update from Saturday, January 22nd, 2022, 6:30 a.m.:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach spoke out in favor of maintaining the current measures and rules.

When asked by the Rheinische Post whether tightening of the rules could be decided on Monday, Lauterbach said: “No, I don’t advise that.

I am in favor of maintaining the existing measures, i.e. not expanding them.”

However, there should also be no relaxation of the corona virus in Germany.

"We would pour oil on the fire and accelerate the wave," said the Federal Minister of Health.

Corona summit: are there new rules?

+++ 4.45 p.m .:

So far there is no draft resolution for the Corona summit on Monday (01/24/2022). However, numerous topics related to the pandemic, including mandatory vaccination and prioritizing PCR tests, are already being discussed. However, a media report now suggests that it is unlikely that new corona rules will be decided at the summit.

According to a report by Business Insider magazine, no new corona tightening is planned. The information apparently comes from government circles. Instead, the current corona regulations, including strict contact restrictions for the unvaccinated, should continue to apply. However, it is unclear whether the federal states will respond to the federal plans. Calls for easing have already been heard from several countries. Above all, an adjustment of the corona rules, which are based on the spread of the delta variant, to the circulating omicron variant is required.

+++ 2 p.m .:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, Markus Söder again emphasized how important it was to adapt the measures.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, the Bavarian Prime Minister said: "Delta management cannot be taken over like this."

Corona Summit: Rules in the “Omicron Check”?

+++ 11.00 a.m .:

Before the Corona summit on Monday, the CSU * called for the Corona rules to be reviewed in view of the new Omicron wave.

"It is true that the fundamentals are changing with Omikron," said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume in the daily newspaper Welt.

"We need an omicron check for corona management in Germany", whereby the MPK could be an "important milestone".

Blume explained that after the administrative court's decision to suspend 2G in retail, Bavaria wanted to continue allowing unvaccinated people access to shops.

"We'll leave it like that," said Blume.

"That belongs in the category: fewer daily restrictions on a small scale, but a clear line on compulsory vaccination for everyone." He reiterated the Union's demand that the federal government have to submit a legislative proposal in the debate about general vaccination instead of the members of the Bundestag to leave.

The omicron variant of the coronavirus is significantly more contagious than previous variants.

Preliminary studies have shown, however, that infected people do not have to go to the hospital and die as often as the Delta variant.

However, experts warn

Corona summit: "We must not let the pandemic slip away"

Update from Friday, January 21, 2022, 8 a.m.:

Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil spoke out against further easing of the corona measures.

"We must not let the pandemic slip away, that's why we need further precautionary measures," said Weil on Friday in the ARD "Morgenmagazin".

Despite the high incidence of corona, he does not believe that a return to a “total lockdown” is necessary because the situation has “changed”.

Corona summit: This is what the federal and state governments are planning

First report from Thursday, January 20th, 2022, 9 a.m.:

Berlin – Germany is in the middle of an omicron wave.

The Corona case numbers * reach a new record every day.

On several days, the number of new infections was already over 100,000.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach* expects the wave to peak in mid-February.

In order to discuss Germany's further strategy in the pandemic, the federal and state governments will again discuss this at a corona summit on Monday.

Various topics come into focus.

So far, there is no draft resolution from the summit meeting, but several issues are emerging -

Corona summit: This is what the federal and state governments are planning

• Corona tests:

  Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach brought prioritization for PCR tests into play on Wednesday evening in the ZDF talk* with Markus Lanz*. This should take the form of a new regulation. The background to the possible measure is that Germany's test systems are presumably exhausted. According to Lauterbach, prioritization is therefore absolutely necessary. Green health expert* Janosch Dahmen demanded on Thursday in the Rheinische Post that the PCR test capacities “should be used first to secure the critical infrastructure and to detect infections in symptomatic people”. He explicitly included schools: "Teachers belong to the staff of the critical infrastructure and should therefore also be able to use PCR test capacities as a priority," says Dahmen in an interview.Carsten Breuer, Major General and head of the Corona crisis team, made a similar statement. According to Breuer, people from the critical infrastructure should be given priority. The Patient Protection Foundation also demanded that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should also have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should also have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."

• Contact tracing of the health authorities:

  In addition, the contact tracing of the health authorities should be discussed at the Corona summit. Franziska Giffey, Berlin's governing mayor, has recently pushed for new corona rules in this area. In particular, it must be clarified where contact tracing still makes sense so that health authorities can “work more focused” and at the same time be relieved. She called for nationwide uniform regulations.

• Corona loosening:

  New corona loosening should also be discussed. Markus Söder*, Bavaria's Prime Minister, recently focused on the topic. At the Corona summit, he wanted to discuss nationwide rules for a possible opening of the stadiums for Bundesliga games and talk about expanding audience capacities at cultural events, as he told our editorial team.

• Corona vaccination obligation:

  A possible general corona vaccination obligation also causes discussions.

  A rapid debate in the Bundestag is aimed for.

  According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz*, group applications should be discussed across parliamentary groups.

  At the Corona summit, too, a unified line on the subject should be struggled for.

  Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach explained to Markus Lanz again on Wednesday evening how necessary he considers general corona vaccination in Germany to be.

(tu/nc with AFP/dpa/rtr)