Because the virologist Christian Drosten considers the pandemic to be over, Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) is calling for all protective measures to be phased out.
“Christian #Drosten was one of the most cautious scientists in the #pandemic,” wrote the FDP politician on Twitter on Monday. “Now his conclusion is: The pandemic is over. We are in the endemic state. As a political consequence, we should end the last #corona protection measures,” Buschmann demanded.
Drosten, head of virology at the Berlin University Hospital Charité, had told the “Tagesspiegel” that Germany was experiencing the first endemic wave of Sars-CoV-2 this winter. “In my opinion, the pandemic is over.”
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) is also demanding political consequences. “With this statement by Christian Drosten, on whose expertise Karl Lauterbach has always built, the basis for any restriction of fundamental rights to contain the corona virus is removed,” Kubicki told the Tagesspiegel.
He expects the coalition partners in the federal government to come together as soon as possible and tackle a corresponding legal change to the Infection Protection Act. “This is constitutionally required,” said Kubicki.
The federal states must now end their respective measures, the FDP politician demanded. This means that the “patchwork” that many see as problematic will come to an end.
The debate about the future of the corona measures in Germany is now in full swing again. Torsten Herbst, parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group, told the Tagesspiegel: “Since the appearance of the omicron variant, the danger of the infections has decreased significantly. We will get used to living with Covid-19 in everyday life. ”Therefore, politicians could also lift the special measures of the Infection Protection Act, such as the obligation to wear a mask in public transport, by next spring at the latest.
Caution until spring?
The Green health politician Janosch Dahmen warns of caution for the winter. “At the moment there is much to suggest that the corona virus is hardly changing and that its currently widespread distribution will finally decrease significantly at the end of this winter,” he told the Tagesspiegel.
From Dahmen’s point of view, one should “continue to be considerate and therefore wear a mask indoors, maintain hand hygiene and ensure regular ventilation” due to the current widespread spread of the virus, the associated staff shortages and the burden on the health system.
Left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch shared a report on the interview with Drosten on Twitter and captioned it with “Christmas message from #Pope”.
Several experts in Germany now share the view that the pandemic has been overcome. In the federal states, which themselves determine corona protection measures such as compulsory isolation and mask rules in local public transport, different requirements for combating the pandemic still apply. (with dpa)
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