After Wiesn decision: Lauterbach considers implementation to be "daring" - and warns of a major problem
Created: 05/18/2022, 07:23
By: Catherine Haase
Karl Lauterbach (SPD), Federal Minister of Health, speaks.
© Annette Riedl/dpa/archive image
The Oktoberfest is to take place as usual this year after a two-year Corona break.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach remains skeptical as to whether this will be possible.
Munich
– After a two-year break due to the pandemic, the Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese in Munich * will take place again this year.
This was officially announced by Munich's Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) about two weeks ago.
However, Reiter made no secret of the fact that he was not very convinced of the planning of such an event without any corona protection measures.
He now has the backing of his party colleague, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach.
He considers it "daring" to now say that the Munich Oktoberfest can take place as it has always taken place.
As Lauterbach announced in the BR24 topic of the day on Wednesday, there is a certain probability that the Omikron variants BA.4 and BA.5 will be dealt with by then.
Oktoberfest 2022: Karl Lauterbach sees rule-free commitment as problematic - and warns of corona variants
A “completely unprotected Oktoberfest” could then fuel the outbreak.
That is why he is of the opinion that at this point in time it is not possible to decide on a clear commitment or cancellation or on rules for the Oktoberfest.
When the Wiesn decision was announced, Reiter had let it be known that Lauterbach had also warned him about a rule-free commitment.
Legally, however, there is no longer any basis for banning the Oktoberfest or enforcing access restrictions.
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Other state politicians had also criticized Reiter's announcement.
Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), on the other hand, defended the decision to allow the Wiesn to take place.
It was “justifiable, also in view of the current development of the corona pandemic,” said Holetschek.
Prime Minister Markus Söder was also openly happy about the decision - and had to take harsh criticism for it.
New corona wave in autumn?
Lauterbach and Chancellor Scholz are working on a "master plan"
In the fight against Corona, a plan for autumn has been agreed with the Federal Chancellery, according to Lauterbach.
This meets the demands of the state health ministers for a “master plan” for after the summer.
Among other things, adapted vaccines would now be purchased and the reporting systems optimized.
It would be easier if there was a general obligation to vaccinate, says Lauterbach, but the FDP does not support it.
Compulsory vaccination would make a lot of sense, but we can't get it through, so it's dead," says Lauterbach.
It remains unclear how the Wiesn decision will continue.
Mayor Reiter had already announced that should a cancellation be necessary at the last moment, the costs would not fall back on the taxpayer.
Meanwhile, the construction of the first Wiesn tent has already taken place on the Theresienwiese.
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