Status: 06/02/2022 21:57
While there is a risk of another wave of corona in the fall, the federal and state governments want to prevent daycare centers and schools from closing again. Appropriate preparations would be made, Chancellor Scholz assured.
The federal and state governments have agreed that there should be no more nationwide school and daycare closures next fall. This was stated by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the Prime Ministers’ Conference. The framework conditions must now be created so that, despite the pandemic, there can be “proper functioning” in the facilities even in the coldest seasons.
Scholz assured that the federal and state governments want to prepare well for a possible renewed deterioration of the situation of the crown. In view of autumn and winter, preparations must now be made in case the number of infections increases again. “And that’s why the clear agreement is that we prepare for this moment,” said the chancellor. The goal should be that “all the action options we need are available in the fall”.
“We now have summer tires if I may choose that example. It’s about having the right winter tires ready when you need it,” explained Scholz of the current situation. If it’s a very icy landscape, Germany may also need other options to make progress safely. The expert panel and crisis team would make suggestions, on the basis of which the law would be closely coordinated. All the action options that would be needed should also be available.
Wust: “No back and forth”
The chairman of the conference of prime ministers, NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, said both sides had agreed on a roadmap to prepare a vaccination campaign for the autumn and winter. At the same time, it is important for the federal government to adapt the foundations to combat the pandemic in a timely manner before the fall. Wüst announced that federal states would strategize and review concepts at an early stage to avoid closing schools and day care centers.
Before the countries met with Chancellor Scholz, they met in their own round. Even there, Wüst held the federal government responsible for taking on greater responsibility. There should be no more “back and forth between locks and easing”.
Vaccines for all variants?
The state ministers of Health had already listed possible instruments in a unanimous decision. From autumn, for example, one can react to a mask requirement indoors. Also, there should be around 2G or 3G access rules with vaccination, convalescence or testing certificates for certain facilities.
In the Bundestag budget debate, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said concepts for vaccines and tests are needed, as well as more precise data on the burden at clinics. He also called for better protection of at-risk groups, for example in nursing homes, and changes to the Infection Protection Act. According to Lauterbach, his vaccination concept will ensure that there is the right vaccine for every virus variant that may arise.