Corona consequences
Children in the pandemic: calls for more support
A mask lies on a pencil case in the first grade of an elementary school (archive image). “Of all those who made sacrifices in the pandemic, the children made the most,” says Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach. photo
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Corona hit children particularly hard: their social life practically came to a standstill. A report on the consequences will be presented in the Bundestag, accompanied by calls for more support and measures.
Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus has called for the concerns and needs of children and young people to be taken seriously with regard to the consequences of the corona pandemic. “The young people in the country have shown solidarity with the elderly,” said the Greens politician in the Bundestag. “Our job is to put their support more at the center of what we do.” It shouldn’t depend on social status how well young people get through the crisis.
The members of parliament debated the report by several federal ministries on the effects of the corona pandemic on children and young people. The experts’ paper states that all public life has come to a virtual standstill. Meeting friends and family members outside of your own household, playing outside, spending time with your peers – from one day to the next, all of this was only possible to a very limited extent. Especially in the case of socially disadvantaged families in cramped apartments, the difficulties and existential needs have increased significantly.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach thanked the children and parents for their solidarity during the Corona period. “Of all those who made sacrifices in the pandemic, the children made the most,” said the SPD politician. “Many children are still suffering today.” The government therefore owes the children a serious debate and concrete measures, such as improving psychotherapeutic care. “The children are in psychological distress, so it can’t be that they have to wait a year for an appointment,” said Lauterbach.
The government’s measures do not go far enough for the Union. “The funds for the consequences of the corona pandemic have decreased significantly,” said CDU MP Mareike Lotte Wulf. It is no longer a package for the future, but rather “a package”.
