Freedom Day in March?

Union does not want to extend corona measures: "no longer necessary"

Created: 2022-02-09 13:47

By: Andreas Schmid

Tino Sorge talks about a Corona Freedom Day © Christoph Hardt/Imago

Will all corona measures fall in March?

The Union calls for a Freedom Day.

The traffic light still seems skeptical - especially Minister of Health Lauterbach.

Berlin - March 20, 2022 could be a crucial date in Germany's pandemic policy.

Because the current corona measures end on March 19 according to the Infection Protection Act.

Will Freedom Day then come, that is, the date on which all measures fall?

If the rules were to continue to apply, the Infection Protection Act would have to be extended again.

But that is exactly what the Union does not want to do.

Union calls for "Freedom Day" - "then there is no reason for further corona rules

Tino Sorge, health policy spokesman for his parliamentary group, told the

: "From today's perspective, there are good reasons for confidence." If the situation remains relaxed, there is no reason for further corona rules.

"If the corona numbers drop as expected, the catalog of measures in paragraph 28a of the Infection Protection Act will no longer be necessary." The paragraph lists all current measures, such as the obligation to wear a mask, contact restrictions or 2G/3G rules.

Freedom Day: traffic lights skeptical - Lauterbach brakes

The Bundestag can also extend the Infection Protection Act by a further three months.

Whether he will do so is currently not foreseeable.

AfD and parts of the left have repeatedly expressed skepticism about the Infection Protection Act.

The FDP also took a critical pandemic course for a long time, speaking in November of a “Freedom Day” on March 20th.

The FDP parliamentary group

did not want to comment on the current debate when asked by

One thing is certain: within the federal government, the FDP is meeting with parties that are less willing to relax.

The Greens and especially the SPD are reluctant to speak of a Freedom Day.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach only rejected rapid easing this week.

"The situation is not really under control yet," said the SPD politician on Tuesday.

If the loosening was too fast, "then we would lengthen the wave significantly".

Relaxation debates are “out of place”.

Video: These holiday countries lift all corona restrictions

Corona: Demands for easing are getting louder

However, the pressure for easing is growing.

The daily new infections continue to reach record values.

The situation on the intensive care beds is largely relaxed.

This shows the so-called hospitalization rate.

It indicates how many people out of 100,000 have to be hospitalized within a week because of Covid-19.

It currently averages 6.07 (as of February 9).

For comparison: At the beginning of January, the hospitalization rate was around 3, in December, under the impression of the Delta variant, it was 12. At Christmas 2020, it reached the previous record value of almost 16.

Accordingly, the calls for easing are getting louder.

In addition, there is currently a lot of loosening around Germany *.

Despite the sometimes higher incidences, a number of governments in Europe are reducing the measures, such as the Netherlands, Italy, France, Ireland, Great Britain and Denmark.

Efforts to relax are also being made in Austria.

Virologist Norbert Nowotny said on ORF: “If everything goes well, I expect a Freedom Day in Austria in March.” Almost all corona measures are now also in Sweden.

Scandinavians dated their Freedom Day to February 9th.

In Germany it could possibly be March 20th.

However, German politicians are not yet unanimous.