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RKI boss Wieler
Photo: CHRISTIAN MARQUARDT/POOL/EPA
It was a measure that came out of the blue for many citizens.
And many in politics were just as surprised when the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) shortened the convalescent status from six to three months in mid-January.
In view of the criticism, the FDP is now clearly distancing itself from the president of the federal authority, Lothar Wieler. "I have great respect for the achievements of RKI boss Lothar Wieler in the past two years during the pandemic," said the designated FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai to SPIEGEL. However, he added: "Due to this recent misconduct, which unfortunately is not an isolated case, Mr. Wieler can no longer be sure of the FDP's trust."
On January 13, the RKI was given responsibility for setting the recovery period by the Bundestag and on January 15 it reduced the previous six-month rule for people who had recovered from Corona to three months.
As a result, many citizens suddenly lost their 2G status, i.e. their right to go to restaurants, bars or gyms.
The RKI's measure had caused criticism, most recently at the conference of state health ministers last Monday, who wanted to withdraw responsibility for the recovery period from the RKI and return it to the Bundestag.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is said not to have been informed in advance of the RKI's decision.
There is talk of tensions between Lauterbach and Wieler, the Süddeutsche Zeitung recently reported accordingly.
The FDP accuses the RKI of a lack of communication skills.
“The RKI cannot casually determine the shortening of the recovery period with the stroke of a pen and without any announcement.
This decision has an immediate impact on the daily lives of many people.
Optimal communication works differently," Djir-Sarai told SPIEGEL.
In these difficult times, it is always about responsible and transparent communication.
Djir-Sarai, who is also foreign policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, also referred to the European obligations: "The reduction does not only affect many people in Germany.
The previous federal government had also committed itself in the EU that the convalescent status was valid for six months.«
When asked about Wieler's future at the head of the RKI, the FDP politician said: "It is up to the Federal Minister of Health to decide on the personnel at the top of his sub-authorities."
You can read the entire interview with Bijan Djir-Sarai on Saturday at SPIEGEL.de
