Berlin – The Berlin Senate changed its rules for dealing with unvaccinated people in the corona pandemic within 24 hours. The so-called 2G option model, which in many areas of life prefers convalescent or vaccinated persons (2G) over those who have been tested (3G), has been weakened for children. You are now allowed to go to a 2G restaurant, for example. Six to twelve year olds have to show a negative test. You could also say: The 3G rule applies to them everywhere. The requirements for younger children initially remained unclear. The state government agreed on this on Wednesday.
This was preceded by a day full of excitement and blame at Red-Red-Green, held on the short message service Twitter. Above all from the parliamentary groups, there was criticism of the decision, which excluded children under the age of twelve, and thus their parents, from many things. Health Senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) said on Tuesday after the Senate meeting that they deliberately did not want any exceptions. But that could not be sustained, as the storm showed on Wednesday.
The poison clearly came from the Greens’ camp: “The Senate has been discussing 2G for four weeks – the Greens have been advocating exceptions for children all the time. That was prevented by the SPD ”, it said on Wednesday morning from the press office of the parliamentary group. Shortly afterwards, the tweet was deleted.
The problem was that, of course, Greens were also present in the Senate. At the top: Ramona Pop, mayor, Senator for Economic Affairs – and for that reason alone also a supporter of 2G. But also, for example, co-parliamentary group leader Antje Kapek. According to reports, both Green women allowed the submission from the health administration to pass without any objection.
The reaction of the SPD was correspondingly sharp. Education politician Maja Lasić replied: “Oh wow. Instead of admitting that the Senate, TOGETHER and unanimously (also driven by the Green Senator Pop), made a wrong decision and thus TOGETHER to make the correction from Parliament today, the Greens are campaigning. “
“Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?”
Some time later, the aforementioned Senator for Economics, Pop, responded. And she wisely refrained from criticizing the coalition partner: “Yesterday I made a mistake too. I failed to push for exemptions for children under the age of 12 from the # 2G rule. “
The situation on the left is once again different. Labor Senator Elke Breitenbach and Mayor and Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer did raise the problem of the lack of exceptions at the meeting. In the end, however, they also let the draft pass. Nevertheless, Breitenbach joined the storm on Wednesday – with a tip against the Greens: “Why didn’t you say anything yesterday? Klaus Lederer and I addressed the problem after all … “
There was no answer. But after the pressure from all sides, the Senate gave in very quickly.
But before that, the question had to be urgently clarified, who was the first to criticize the original decision and who was the loudest and thus made a change possible.
Again it was the Greens who claimed it for themselves. Top candidate Bettina Jarasch: “After our criticism and public reaction, parts of the SPD have now given in, the Senate should quickly fix yesterday’s mistake in a special session.”
“Parts of the SPD” – this could also mean Franziska Giffey. “Yesterday’s decision must be corrected. We want and have to achieve a higher vaccination rate, but that must not be at the expense of children and their families, ”wrote the party leader and top candidate.
Now the former Federal Minister for Family Affairs has no problem to speak of, as she has neither a seat nor a vote in the Senate or in the parliamentary group, so she has nothing to do with the original decision. It’s easy to criticize.
Kai Wegner is someone who is currently unable to attend Senate meetings due to the lack of a proper party book. The CDU chairman and top candidate was accordingly easy to criticize: “The red-red-green Senate is waging an internal dispute at the back of the children, who are already the biggest victims of this pandemic,” he said. “This Senate needs a 1D2H rule: Think first, then act.”
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