The incidence continues to rise, the worry lines on the politicians’ foreheads are deepening and the traffic light is tightening their Corona action plans. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder speaks of the “week of truth” …
The wave of corona measures is rolling towards Germany – the coming days will determine our winter, our Christmas party, how we deal with the fourth wave.
The most important date: the Prime Minister’s Conference on Thursday. The goal: to break the fourth wave, to lay down uniform rules. The top guidelines of the week include:
- Booster vaccinations
- nationwide 2G rules
- possible clinical pain limits
- possible lockdown measures for unvaccinated persons
- compulsory vaccination in sensitive professions
- 3G in the workplace as well as on trains and buses
- an additional home office obligation
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (54, CSU) proclaimed the next few days as a “week of truth” in the fight against the fourth corona wave. “It is perhaps the last chance to counteract this,” he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting in Munich.
Lockdown for the unvaccinated
With us, NO lockdown, was the Corona promise of the traffic light – the “epidemic emergency of national scope” should continue to expire on November 25th. Because of the rapidly increasing number of infections, the SPD, Greens and FDP are now massively sharpening their pandemic plan for the winter.
According to a draft law (available from BILD) to reform the Infection Protection Act, the traffic light wants to keep the options for contact restrictions, provide the countries with corona instruments and keep them open how they differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Söder praised the traffic light plans on Monday: Söder welcomed the plans of the future traffic light coalition to combat pandemics as a “step in the right direction”. He emphasized: “If we were all vaccinated, with a high percentage, we would be in an easier situation.”
► Greens co-party leader Robert Habeck (52): “Contact prohibition or 2G regulation means in large parts: Lockdown for unvaccinated people. That is the vulgar translation. “
► The vice-chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese (38), in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”: “We are not afraid of unpopular decisions, and we are not afraid to act. And we are currently very aware of our responsibility. And that’s why we agreed on more extensive measures at the weekend. “Wiese continued:” These are considerable restrictions for unvaccinated people, which we also consider to be right. ” is brought. “
► FDP party leader Christian Lindner (42) said the broadcasters RTL and ntv: “Vaccinated people must continue to have the opportunity for social life – anything else would be disproportionate.”
► The Bavarian Country Manager on this: “In the end it comes down to this: It is a kind of lockdown for the unvaccinated. It cannot be otherwise. ”
3G in trains and buses
In the future, travel in local and long-distance traffic will only be allowed with a mask AND proof of vaccination, recovery or negative test results.
The traffic light paper says: “The 3G rule and the wearing of a respirator or a medical face mask in local or long-distance public transport, including school transport and taxis, will be mandatory nationwide.”
BILD learned: Deutsche Bahn is already signaling that it will support politicians in introducing the planned 3G rule.
Home office and 3G at work
So that the number of new infections decreases, the 3G obligation in the workplace should come into force in November.
In other words: only those who have recovered, vaccinated or tested are allowed into their company. The rapid test must not be more than 24 hours old, the unvaccinated employee must take care of a certified test result himself.
The traffic light parliamentary groups, which have had a majority in parliament since the federal election, want to pass the law on Thursday. Then, according to Hubertus Heil, the home office obligation should also be pushed through.
Booster vaccination debate
However, there is still some uncertainty about the so-called “booster vaccinations”. So far, the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends booster vaccinations among other things “only” for people with immunodeficiency, people over 70 years of age, residents of care facilities as well as staff in medical facilities and nursing staff.
But: According to the Federal Vaccination Ordinance, a booster vaccination is basically possible for everyone whose second vaccination was more than six months ago.
The outgoing Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (41, CDU) is already calling for the booster vaccination for EVERYONE – six months after the second vaccination. Stiko is currently examining this option and would like to announce a decision “in a few weeks”.
Söder demanded on Monday: “What we still need are clear rules for third-party vaccinations,” he said. A regulation for exemption from liability for doctors is also required in order to be able to use a booster injection just five months after a previous vaccination. Söder also believes that mandatory vaccinations are necessary for certain professions, for example in the health sector.
Clinic pain threshold
On Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel (67, CDU) wants to work in the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK) to set a Germany-wide clinic pain threshold value.
It is intended to depict admissions to hospitals due to Corona – and thus show when German hospitals are reaching their pain limit.
That could mean that Christmas – like last year – cannot be celebrated in large groups. Because: It is about an upper limit from which new restrictions on contact measures are introduced.
► The core of the new value should be the so-called hospitalization rate. It shows how many people with corona per 100,000 inhabitants have been treated in the hospital in the past seven days.
Chancellor Merkel said in her podcast: In order for the correct conclusions to be drawn from this value, the federal and state governments must set a threshold value very quickly, from which additional binding steps to contain the pandemic are initiated in accordance with the regional infection situation have to”.
But how meaningful is the value anyway? Experts are already expressing criticism of the Merkel plan. Because: The value only shows patients in hospitals and not whether they need ventilation or intensive care. And: The value is currently far below previous record values.
Sick pay
Another exciting topic for unvaccinated employees: continued payment of wages.
After the introduction of 3G, will those who refuse to be vaccinated and tested no longer receive any wages if they do not show up for work because of it? This is exactly what Rainer Dulger (57), President of the Federal Association of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), is calling for in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.
Workers who do not wish to be vaccinated or tested should not continue to be paid wages. The current legal situation already allows this, said Dulger.
Photo: Bernd Weißbrod / dpa
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/arbeitgeberpraesident-rainer-dulger-57-22134d3a9ee04a34a57c3c9427d5cf6c-78251366/Bild/13.bild.jpg “/> Employer President Rainer Dulger (57)Photo: Bernd Weißbrod / dpa
“Anyone who does not show up for work for reasons for which they are responsible cannot claim any wages for the lost work,” said Dulger. Without this regulation, you would get into trouble if people who refuse to have tests and vaccinations were rewarded with paid leave, said Dulger.
▶ ︎ And further: “The yardstick for all measures must be the interests of those who take responsibility for themselves and others with a vaccination in this pandemic.”
At the same time, Dulger also called for employers to be able to query their employees’ vaccination status. “We need a right to information and storage about the vaccination status of employees. This is a necessary prerequisite in order to be able to provide targeted, effective protection against infection during operations, ”says Dulger.
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