Corona summit: Karl Lauterbach no longer believes in "Freedom Day"

Created: 03/15/2022, 11:08 am

By: Stefan Krieger

On Thursday, the federal and state governments will meet for the next Corona summit.

Health Minister Lauterbach continues to insist on restrictions.

• The previous Corona rules * will expire on March 19th.

  How to proceed is to be decided at a new Corona summit.

• Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach * (SPD *) warns against lifting all measures now.

• Lauterbach sees the federal states as having an obligation.

Berlin – Even after the previous Corona rules have expired on March 19, there should be a number of basic protective measures, including mandatory tests and the obligation to wear a mask in local public transport.

The new Infection Protection Act provides for this.

Further measures, such as the obligation to wear masks indoors, should in future only be possible in so-called corona hotspots.

The federal and state governments want to discuss everything else at an upcoming Corona summit.

In view of the fact that the number of corona infections * has remained high for weeks, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has asked the federal states before the next corona summit not to let the protective measures expire on March 20th, but to use the transitional period until April 2nd.

They could then rely on the planned regulations for regions with a high incidence.

“The countries have to tackle it.

Some states, such as Brandenburg, have now done so.

They go forward and say: We're extending almost everything we have, and then we'll take the new hotspot regulations," Lauterbach said on Tuesday (March 15, 2022) in the morning program of ARD*.

Corona summit: Masks are only compulsory in nursing homes, clinics and on buses and trains

According to a draft by the traffic light government, after March 19, masks will only be compulsory in nursing homes, clinics and in local and long-distance public transport.

If the corona situation worsens regionally, the federal states can introduce stricter rules by parliamentary decision, albeit not all of the previously available ones.

The new legal basis is intended to replace the expiring current regulation.

Karl Lauterbach: "We are not in a position to drop all measures now." © Michele Tantussi/afp

Lauterbach said that from April 2nd, the countries would have to use the new hotspot regulations to get a grip on what is happening.

"They can - and if necessary, it can also mean that if the situation in an entire federal state is so precarious that an entire federal state declares itself a hotspot, as Bavaria, for example, is now considering." There will be no Freedom Day , emphasized Lauterbach.

"We are not in a position to drop all measures now."

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Corona summit: Bavaria is considering a special path

The Bavarian state government is dissatisfied with the draft of the new Infection Protection Act and is considering special regulations for the corona containment measures from March 20th.

"Whether Bavaria goes its own way will be an issue in the cabinet meeting," said State Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU*) to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Holetschek did not rule out that Bavaria could declare itself completely a corona hotspot in order to maintain certain measures after March 19th.

However, it is "extremely difficult" to "find any legal regulations at all" based on the federal government's draft law in order to declare a federal state or a district a hotspot.

Corona summit: Prime Minister's conference with Chancellor Scholz

When asked whether general changes to the Infection Protection Act are still possible, Health Minister Lauterbach said: “Of course we are discussing, we also negotiated with the parliamentary groups late into the night yesterday.

It continues today, changes are still possible.

But I just want to defend what we have once again: if the hotspot rule is really used by everyone, then we can really do a lot with it.”

The draft of the new Infection Protection Act is to be discussed in the Bundestag in the first reading on Wednesday and passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat on Friday (03/18/2022).

The state heads of government will discuss the implementation of the new regulation on Thursday (March 17th, 2022) at the next Prime Ministers' Conference at a Corona summit with Chancellor Olaf Scholz * (SPD).

(skr/dpa/afp)