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Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach: "It's not right to pretend that everything is completely normal for everyone"
Photo: Wolfgang Kumm / dpa
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) defends himself against the expression "Freedom Day" for the far-reaching relaxation of the corona measures decided by the federal and state governments until March 20th.
"I don't use this term at all and I don't think it's appropriate either," said the minister on Wednesday evening on the ARD program "Maischberger".
Even after March 20, there are still people who are at risk from the corona virus - such as older people for whom the vaccinations do not work so well.
"There will never be full freedom for these people," emphasized Lauterbach.
"So I don't think it's right to pretend that there is complete normality for everyone."
The Health Minister warned that Covid-19 will remain as an additional disease and that the world will not be the same after mid-March as it was before the pandemic.
"I think we're going to be dealing with Covid for ten years, but with decreasing intensity."
On ZDF, the SPD politician had previously spoken out in favor of significantly reducing the corona measures in schools in the medium term if the number of infections fell.
When asked when, for example, the mask requirement in the classroom could fall, Lauterbach said that everything depends on how well the number of cases can be reduced.
"If things go down systematically now, then in a few weeks the schools will also have to be relieved massively."
On Wednesday, the federal and state governments had agreed on a plan for gradual openings up to a possible end of all drastic corona requirements on March 20 (read an overview of the decisions here).
After that, however, "basic protection" should remain possible with certain measures.
fek/dpa
