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Had pushed ahead: Manne Lucha, Baden-Württemberg's Green Minister for Social Affairs, Health and Integration
Photo: Christoph Schmidt / dpa
Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has distanced himself from his social affairs minister, Manne Lucha (Greens).
Lucha had previously asked Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in a letter to end the pandemic situation soon.
When asked whether Lucha's letter was coordinated with Kretschmann, a government spokesman for the German Press Agency said: "No, it wasn't." Lucha partially backtracked in the evening after he received further pressure from the green-black coalition.
"We explicitly do not declare the pandemic over," said a ministry spokesman.
»There is no change of strategy in the protective measures.«
Lucha appeals to personal responsibility
In the letter, Lucha had previously called for a change from the pandemic to the endemic phase for the end of April.
Such a decision would have far-reaching consequences: the corona virus would be classified like the flu virus.
There would be practically no more tests and no mandatory quarantine for those who tested positive and who were sick.
The reason given by Lucha was that the health authorities no longer had any influence on the outbreak due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant.
"The behavior should rather be given into personal responsibility, for sick people the request to stay at home still applies," wrote the minister.
atb/dpa
