The federal government negotiated the Infection Protection Act for weeks – the key points were presented on Wednesday. SWR science editor Ulrike Till is anything but enthusiastic.
You can tell from the draft how hard Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) fought with each other – everyone was able to get something done, but Marco Buschmann clearly won. Team Freedom was once again stronger than Team Caution. Almost every new rule has so many exceptions that it’s significantly watered down. For example, protection in clinics and care facilities: From October, masks and tests will be mandatory for visitors and staff nationwide. Sounds good, but those who have just been vaccinated or have recovered are exempt from the test requirement.
“Fresh” means: Vaccination or infection may be up to three months ago. Although it has long been clear that the protection against infection at Omikron is very weak: Even shortly after a vaccination or an illness that has gone through, you can infect yourself and others again. The German Foundation for Patient Protection has rightly criticized this exception. One can only hope that many clinics will enforce stricter regulations on their own.
–
The federal government has agreed on corona rules for the fall. Masks and tests remain central. The state government in BW does not go far enough.
more…
–
Federal patchwork of compulsory masks in local transport
The rules in public transport are also half-hearted: in long-distance transport, the mask requirement should continue to apply nationwide – in local transport the federal states can decide. In some federal states you will be allowed to ride the bus or subway without a mask, in others not – there it is again, the federal patchwork quilt. And what status do regional trains actually have? This is just one of many open questions.
Waxy formulation on compulsory masks in schools
The regulations for schools are similarly inconsistent: Never again school closures, that is the top priority. In order to achieve this, the federal states may impose compulsory tests and masks in schools – but only “if this is necessary in order to be able to continue to conduct face-to-face classes”. The dishes will enjoy this waxy formula for a long time to come. How many lessons have to be canceled so that face-to-face teaching is endangered? And what if the situation in one city is much more critical than in the next? And above all: Why should the mask only be expected of schoolchildren from the 5th grade, even in the case of the most severe waves of infection? The German Teachers’ Association warns that continuous teaching must also be ensured in elementary schools.
In general, the subject of compulsory masks in this draft is a single “yes, but”: Yes, the federal states may also impose a mask requirement in publicly accessible indoor areas – but this must not apply to newly vaccinated, recovered or tested people. Namely at leisure and cultural events, in sports and in gastronomy. So many exceptions – for people who are known to be highly infectious despite all the evidence.
No limit values for incidence and occupancy of the hospitals
Only in the highest escalation level, which the draft law provides for, do the exceptions disappear. Then there are also upper limits for people at public events indoors. Mind you: only for public events. Anyone who wants to celebrate a private wedding with 500 people can continue to do so, even if the situation is precarious. According to the planned law, dangerous means: A state parliament determines a concrete danger to the functionality of the health system or the critical infrastructure. This is a very high hurdle, and the process is also time-consuming.
The very general formulations are irritating – specific criteria are not even hinted at. There are no limits in sight either for the incidence or for hospital occupancy or free intensive care beds. The states should then tinker themselves – so the federal government steals from the responsibility. From my point of view, that is the biggest annoyance of this draft: the federal government only rams in a few wobbly pegs – the federal states then have to erect the fence. With bad equipment and everyone on their own. This fence will have large gaps in winter – and will hardly protect us in an emergency.
–
