Corona news on Saturday: Incidence reaches a new high for the sixth day in a row

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Rapid test station in the Harz Mountains: The abolition of free tests did not lead to significantly more vaccinations

Photo: Matthias Bein / dpa

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Teachers' Association warns of renewed school closings

7.30 a.m

.: In the fight against corona in schools, there is a risk of loss of control in many places, according to the teacher president Hein-Peter Meidinger.

In view of the rapidly increasing incidence, he also thinks that school closings again are conceivable, said the President of the German Teachers' Association of the "Bild" newspaper.

“There are now almost 100,000 students in quarantine.

It is high time for an orientation light for the schools, ”said Meidinger.

In addition, the municipalities would have to ensure that the money for air filters, for example, is finally released, said Meidinger.

»It is also important to reduce contacts in private.

There is still a lot of persuasion to be done. "

Union parliamentary group want to apply for an extension of the epidemic situation

7 a.m.:

In October, Health Minister Jens Spahn spoke out in favor of an end to the epidemic situation. The parliamentary group of the CDU politician is planning exactly the opposite in view of the worsening corona situation, according to a media report: As the "Rheinische Post" reports, a corresponding application is to be registered for consultation and voting in the Bundestag for next Thursday. According to the will of the parliamentary group, the Bundestag should determine the special situation beyond November 25th.

Parliamentary group vice-chairman Thorsten Frei (CDU) told the newspaper that, especially for the federal states, a "viable, legal set of instruments" was now necessary.

"The traffic light parties are now canceling this out without providing adequate replacement." In this dramatic situation, action must be taken.

"The situation has never justified the persistence of the epidemic situation as much as it does now." The SPD, Greens and FDP want to replace this legal basis for corona restrictions in the countries with a new regulation that includes a smaller catalog of measures.

Braun and Bas against compulsory vaccination

6.45 a.m.:

On this point, the still-GroKo politicians Bärbel Bas and Helge Braun agree: The SPD politician and the CDU man warn of compulsory vaccinations.

"If vaccination is compulsory for certain occupational groups, the vaccination opposition could intensify," said the acting Chancellery Minister Braun of "Welt am Sonntag".

The Funke newspapers, in turn, quoted the President of the Bundestag as saying: “You could certainly increase the vaccination rate with compulsory vaccination.

On the other hand, you run the risk of dividing society further. «Even more people would have to be convinced to vaccinate.

Again free rapid corona tests for everyone

6.10 a.m.:

In the fight against the spread of the

, free rapid

are again possible for everyone from today. The federal government reactivated the offer of so-called citizen tests, which was severely restricted just a month ago, as stipulated in an ordinance by the managing health minister Jens Spahn (CDU). This means that everyone is again entitled to at least one rapid test per week by trained staff - regardless of their vaccination or convalescence status. The test certificates can also serve as evidence of access rules to certain indoor spaces and events.

Spahn had made it clear that from the beginning of next week, the on-site offer should gradually be expanded again and more tests will become available.

The free citizen tests had only been discontinued a few weeks ago.

The politicians wanted to make it annoying and expensive for the unvaccinated - and encourage them to vaccinate.

The hoped-for boost did not materialize, however.

Existing providers can now continue their work.

The federal states can also commission other test centers.

Seehofer criticizes confusion - and wants to cooperate with traffic light parties on Corona

05.50 a.m.:

The acting Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer calls for clear nationwide rules in the fight against the fourth corona wave. »Nobody can understand the whole mess: vaccination centers open, vaccination centers closed - continued payment of wages in quarantine yes, then no again - test free of charge, test subject to charge. Yes, did anyone seriously believe that someone else could be tested for their own account if they did not receive continued wages in quarantine? ", Said the CSU politician of the" Augsburger Allgemeine ".

It was a serious mistake by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) to bring the end of the epidemic situation into play.

Seehofer calls on the executive federal government and the possible traffic light coalition to cooperate: “We must now all together demonstrate the art of governance - those who are still in government and those who are about to do so.

The subject is far too serious and far too dangerous for us to argue about for weeks. "

The situation in the clinics in eastern and southern Germany is apparently coming to a head

5 a.m.:

According to a report, the increasing numbers of corona infections are burdening the clinics in the south and east of Germany more and more. In Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, "daily transfers between hospitals to compensate and maintain functionality are already being carried out," reported the newspapers of the Funke media group, citing a confidential report from the federal states. In Hessen, too, it is becoming more and more difficult to place patients in intensive care units.

The situation in the east, especially in Thuringia and Saxony, is also considered alarming.

"The situation of the hospitals in these two countries is classified as dramatic, especially in Thuringia," according to the newspapers of the Funke media group in the report of the transnational steering group of the so-called cloverleaf system for the distribution of patients in the event of regional overload.

According to the report, in order to relieve the clinics in high-incidence areas of corona, the states are also considering Germany-wide transfers in front of patients for the first time: In Baden-Württemberg, it has already been considered to move patients over 700 kilometers to Schleswig-Holstein.

In Bavaria, some patients have been moved around 400 kilometers from the southeastern part of the country to Würzburg in the north.

apr / dpa / Reuters / AFP