Enlarge image
Lauterbach on the currently available corona kits: "We don't know exactly how well these tests work for Omikron"
Photo: Ennio Leanza / dpa
This article will be updated continuously.
Don't miss a thing: subscribe to our coronavirus newsletter for the latest developments and the most important background information.
Air traffic control: Air traffic over Germany is only slowly recovering
5.01
a.m.: There was not much going on in German airspace last year due to the corona pandemic.
Air traffic control registered a traffic density that was last seen 30 years ago.
In the past year 2021, air traffic only slowly recovered from the Corona low point.
Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) and other institutions controlled 1.67 million take-offs, landings and overflights, only 14.3 percent more movements than in 2020, as the federally owned company reported on Monday in Langen near Frankfurt.
A traffic density was achieved that was just above that in 1991 and roughly half of the level observed before Corona.
In 2020 there was 1.46 million flight movements, the lowest figure since German reunification, although a full flight plan was flown for a few weeks before the corona shock in March of that year.
School starts in eight federal states - health ministers advise
5.44 a.m.:
After the Christmas holidays, schools will start again this Monday in eight federal states.
There are precautions because of the corona pandemic and the rapidly spreading virus variant Omikron.
In the most populous federal state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
, all pupils, teachers and other employees at the schools are to be tested on the first day after the holidays.
In
Bavaria
, vaccinated and recovered pupils also have to test themselves regularly.
In
Baden-Württemberg
, too, tests are initially being carried out more intensely in schools for six weeks.
Schools are also starting again in Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Bremen.
In the eight other federal states, lessons had already started again in the past few days.
The education ministers responsible for education of the federal states confirmed their line on Wednesday that schools should be kept open in the current Corona situation.
The health ministers of the federal states will also discuss the corona situation on Monday.
Saxony-Anhalt's head of department Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD) is in the chair.
Nothing was known in advance about the topics.
RKI reports 25,255 new infections - the incidence rises to 375.7
3.50 a.m.:
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has again reported an increase in the nationwide seven-day incidence.
The RKI stated the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Monday morning as 375.7.
For comparison: the previous day the value was 362.7.
A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 232.4.
The health authorities in Germany reported 25,255 new corona infections to the RKI within one day.
This is evident from the numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 3:34 a.m.
A week ago there were 18,518 infections, although there were gaps in tests and reports over the course of the holidays.
You can read the detailed report on the current figures here: The seven-day incidence rises to 375.7
Political scientist warns of danger to democracy
1.00 a.m.:
In view of the protests against the Corona policy, the political scientist Hajo Funke has warned of radical efforts and a possible danger to democracy.
"We do not have putsch-like organizations like in Washington on January 6, 2021, but we see the goal of increasingly relevant circles to first and foremost disrupt the democratic-liberal order decisively and then to overthrow it," Funke told the newspapers of the Funke- Media group.
“We are currently witnessing the radicalization of a right-wing dominated movement.
It depends on the reaction of society and, above all, of politics. "
Funke warned: "But if the pandemic is not contained and the executives fail at this point, nor the police react appropriately and the citizens continue to barely defend themselves against the unreasonable demands of the corona deniers, we would have an expanding and escalating mass movement with fascist elements which would represent an immediate danger to the continued existence of democracy and would lead to expansion similar to civil war. "
Australia breaks one million infections mark
0.38 a.m.:
According to official data, Australia has more than a million corona infections.
The states of New South Wales and Victoria together report about 55,000 positive tests.
This brings the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic to 1.03 million.
Other states and territories will not be reporting their numbers until later this day.
The country was able to control the spread of the virus for nearly two years with the closure of national borders and lockdowns.
After easing restrictions, Australia is currently battling an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Virologist Streeck for a new way of dealing with corona pandemic
0.11 a.m.:
The Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck advocates a pragmatic approach to the corona pandemic. »The thought is slowly gaining ground that we need to deal pragmatically with the pandemic in order to learn to live with the virus. On the other hand, the permanent alarm condition is tiring and unsuccessful, «says Streeck, who is also a member of the Federal Government's Expert Council.
He warns that the exposure in the hospitals should "continue to be monitored carefully and, if necessary, respond to measures".
This also includes "validly recording the hospitalization incidence".
This currently shows all patients who are admitted to hospital with a positive corona test.
Experts and politicians are therefore calling for only those patients to be included in the characteristic value for whom Corona is also the reason for hospitalization.
Corona in Italy: Further restrictions on travel
0.05 a.m.:
Italy has had further corona restrictions with an impact on travel since this Monday. The 2G rule now applies in hotels, convention centers, restaurants, ski lifts and local and long-distance transport. This means that only people who are verifiably vaccinated against Covid-19 or have recovered from the disease are allowed access. In terms of traffic, this affects not only city buses, but also trains, ferries and flights. German tourists can use the QR codes of their vaccination certificates in Italy. Corona in Italy: Further restrictions on travel
The Council of Ministers under Prime Minister Mario Draghi agreed on the rules at the end of last year.
This extends the restrictions in everyday life, especially for the unvaccinated, because a negative corona test is no longer sufficient for many places.
The 2G rule now also applies to team sports.
Footballers, for example, have to be vaccinated or recovered in order to play.
The government of the country with around 60 million inhabitants reacted to the sharp rise in the number of new corona infections.
The most recently officially determined seven-day incidence was a record high nationwide with an average of 1,669 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
oka / dpa / Reuters / AFP
