Icon: enlarge
Corona rapid test station in Baden-Württemberg
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
This article is continuously updated.
Don't miss a thing: subscribe to our
coronavirus newsletter
for the latest developments and the most important background information
.
RKI study: 48 percent of the corona positives in Berlin-Mitte have no antibodies
9.36 a.m.:
Anyone who has
suffered
a corona infection does not necessarily have neutralizing antibodies against the virus.
This is shown by a study from Berlin-Mitte.
Read more here.
FDP calls for public corona vaccination from Steinmeier and Merkel
9.30 a.m.:
The FDP has demanded that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel be vaccinated against the corona virus.
This could be used to woo confidence in the vaccinations, said the deputy parliamentary group leader Michael Theurer of the "Bild" newspaper.
A public vaccination of the Federal President and the Chancellor would be a "very positive signal" for the vaccination campaign, emphasized the FDP politician.
Such an action would, in his words, "build trust".
More unemployed due to the corona crisis at the end of the year
9.10 a.m.:
The number of people in employment in Germany fell during the corona crisis at the end of 2020.
In the fourth quarter there were 44.8 million people in employment and thus 1.6 percent less seasonally adjusted than in the same period of the previous year, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Compared to the final quarter of 2019 before the pandemic, this corresponds to a decrease of 744,000 people in employment.
The seasonally adjusted increase in the workforce in the third quarter of 2020 was also weak with an increase of 21,000.
The decline in employment compared to the same period of the previous year is mainly due to the falling number of employees, which fell by 553,000 to 40.9 million people.
In particular, low-paid and short-term employees, but also employees subject to social security contributions, lost their jobs in the pandemic.
In addition, the number of self-employed fell sharply.
The number of infected people only drops slightly
8.40 a.m.:
The health authorities in Germany reported 10,207 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within one day - hardly less than a week ago.
In addition, 534 more deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to figures from the RKI on Thursday.
The data reflect the status of the RKI number of cases table from 7.27 a.m., subsequent changes or additions are possible.
Last Thursday, the RKI had recorded 10,237 new infections and 666 new deaths within one day.
The high of 1,244 newly reported deaths was reached on January 14th.
In the case of new infections registered within 24 hours, the highest value was reached on December 18, at 33,777, but it contained 3500 late reports.
According to the RKI, the number of new infections reported within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants (seven-day incidence) was 57.1 nationwide on Wednesday morning - and thus slightly higher than the previous day (57.0).
In the days before, there had been no significant decrease in the incidence.
Lockdown is forcing a third of German companies to work short-time
7.50 a.m.:
According to a newspaper report, the current corona lockdown has led to short-time work in around a third of companies in Germany.
In January 31 percent of the companies applied for state wage subsidies for short-time work, according to a survey by the Munich Ifo Institute, according to the Augsburger Allgemeine.
In December it was 28 percent.
There are big differences between the industries.
According to the Ifo Institute, 86 percent of all companies in the catering sector employed short-time work in January, while in retail and the automotive industry it was half.
The highest rate of companies with short-time work at travel agencies and travel agents was 90 percent.
The lawyers, tax advisors and auditors who did not take advantage of this kind of government assistance were in the best position.
Municipalities and doctors warn against too high expectations for rapid tests
6:50 a.m.:
From March onwards, the federal government wants to offer free rapid corona
tests
- in view of this, the association of cities and municipalities has warned against too high expectations.
The citizens should not believe that from March 1st "everywhere for everyone" the rapid tests will be available in large numbers, said chief executive Gerd Landsberg to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
From the start of the vaccination campaign it was learned that the procurement of resources against the coronavirus and their distribution to many millions of people is a "mammoth task".
Landsberg therefore advocated a step-by-step plan for the rapid tests: "If the tests are not yet available in sufficient numbers, it makes sense to concentrate on daycare centers and schools first," he said.
Read more about this here.
Amusement parks in New York are allowed to reopen in the spring
Icon: enlarge
Coney Island (archive image)
Photo: KEITH BEDFORD / REUTERS
4.05 a.m.:
The amusement parks in the US state of New York will be allowed to reopen in the spring despite the corona pandemic.
Masks, spacing, compliance with hygiene rules and reducing the number of visitors to around a third are mandatory, said Governor Andrew Cuomo at a press conference on Wednesday (local time).
For example, the famous amusement park Coney Island in the New York borough of Brooklyn, which had to remain completely closed last year, will reopen its doors to visitors from April 9th.
Indoor amusement facilities such as trampoline centers or amusement arcades are likely to reopen by the end of March, said Cuomo.
With this, the governor once again announced new easing within a few weeks: Previously, stadiums had been reopened to a limited extent for major events and the interiors of restaurants, cafés and bars in the metropolis of New York were reopened with limited capacity.
Medium-sized companies demand an »exit timetable« from the lockdown
3.30 a.m.: In
view of the week-long lockdown, medium-sized companies are pushing for a binding »exit schedule«.
In a letter from the Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW) to Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) it says: »Germany has to get out of the lockdown.
The lockdown in Germany is now largely causing more economic damage than it brings medical benefits. "
It is "high time" to end the existing state of uncertainty in a regulated manner.
The letter was available to the dpa news agency.
An “economic summit” with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is also called for.
After an "economic summit" with associations on Tuesday, Altmaier announced that he wanted to present recommendations for an opening strategy together with the economy at the next federal and state consultations on the corona crisis at the beginning of March.
The associations are reportedly asked to send suggestions regarding a key issues paper on the subject of opening strategy to the Ministry of Economic Affairs by Friday noon.
Association of cities and municipalities warns against too high expectations for
corona
rapid tests
3.00 a.m.:
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities has warned against too high expectations of the free corona rapid tests announced by the federal government from March.
The citizens should not believe that from March 1st "everywhere for everyone" the rapid tests will be available in large numbers, said chief executive Gerd Landsberg to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
From the start of the vaccination campaign it was learned that the procurement of resources against the coronavirus and their distribution to many millions of people is a "mammoth task".
Landsberg therefore advocated a step-by-step plan for the rapid tests: "If the tests are not yet available in sufficient numbers, it makes sense to concentrate on daycare centers and schools first," he said.
Icon: The mirror
kfr / ros / nck / jok / dpa / AFP / Reuters
