From Tuesday the government will tighten the corona reins tremendously!
Then vaccinated people are only allowed to meet ten people, clubs and discos are closed and major events are prohibited – and the New Year’s Eve fireworks will also be canceled this year. With this Omikron emergency plan – and many booster vaccinations – the spread of the more contagious Corona variant should be slowed down as far as possible.
But even before the tough measures come into force, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (46, CDU) speaks about even tougher rules that Germans should be prepared for after the holidays.
“We are doing everything to ensure the return to normality as soon as possible, but we as politicians have to be honest: Corona will still keep us busy and demand a lot in the new year,” said Wüst, who is also chairman of the conference of prime ministers. Omikron is a “completely new dimension of the challenge” and “restrictions in everyday life will remain necessary in the new year”, said Wüst.
Wüst emphasized that these weeks will be about significantly reducing contacts again. The citizens would also be accompanied by masks and hygiene measures for months to come. “The booster vaccinations and any other vaccinations are the most important building block in fighting the pandemic.”
Woidke against new rule debates
Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (60, SPD) warned against constantly discussing new, tougher corona rules.
“We mustn’t overuse people,” said Woidke. “You have to be taken along and understand the measures. A new package of measures every week would only lead to a lack of understanding. Acceptance is the basic requirement for mutual success. ”In his opinion, the regulations in Brandenburg are currently sufficient.
“I am firmly convinced that we can manage not to let this Omikron variant become the worst-case scenario with ten million infected people as early as the second week of January, but can lower the curve significantly – but only with the suitable measures and with the understanding of the population, ”said Woidke.
On January 7, the Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63, SPD) and the country leaders want to meet again for a Corona summit, assess the situation and talk about measures. The corona numbers in Germany have recently fallen, but experts fear an imminent trend reversal due to the more contagious variant.
Yet: The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid (BBK) assumes that a fifth corona wave will not result in the collapse of critical infrastructures in Germany. “A fifth wave could lead to restrictions, but not to a collapse,” said a spokesman for the editorial network Germany. “There is no reason to assume that. There are reserves. We are not at the end of our game. ”It will probably take until the beginning of the year for Omikron to take full effect in Germany.
The BBK spokesman also praised the preparation for the previous waves. “We mastered four waves, which were already massive, without restrictions – with the exception of the intensive care units.” That is because those responsible are prepared for something like this because corresponding plans existed.
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities, on the other hand, calls for longer-term planning from the federal and state governments. This also includes the early preparation of a possible general vaccination requirement, said chief executive Gerd Landsberg to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Everyone knows that the new wave of Omikron is coming. This fifth wave can become a veritable wall for our country and in particular for the entire health system. “It is still” driven far too much on sight “.
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