Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is calling for an immediate end to all protective measures.Image: dpa / Kay Nietfeld
Germany
The corona pandemic has had the world under control for more than two and a half years. Lockdowns, closed shops and restaurants, vaccinations, G-proofs, sticks in the nose. Sars-Cov-2 has changed the lives of many people. And like the band”The rags” already found in 2021: “Every German suddenly had a favorite virologist.”
One of these pandemic stars: Christian Drosten, the chief virologist at the Berlin Charité. In an interview with the “daily mirror“He now declared the pandemic over. He said: “We are experiencing the first endemic wave of Sars-CoV-2 this winter, in my opinion the pandemic is over.”
For Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP), the matter is clear with this statement: All corona measures must go immediately. To the dissatisfaction of the health expert of the Greens, Janosch Dahmen. He finds drastic words about the assessment of the Minister of Justice.
The Greens health expert Janosch Dahmen warns against a hasty end to the protective measures.Image: dpa / Kay Nietfeld
In the interview, Drosten explained that the immunity of the population would be broad and resilient after this winter. It is therefore unlikely that the virus will get through in the coming summer. The only restriction the virologist named was another mutational leap. “But I don’t expect that anymore at the moment.”
As a political consequence of Drosten’s assessment, the Minister of Justice called for the last corona protective measures to be ended. That would be the mask requirement in long-distance transport or in health facilities, as well as the test requirements in old people’s and nursing homes. The quarantine obligations that still apply in many federal states could then also be eliminated.
Janosch Dahmen warns against recklessness
Not a good idea from the point of view of health expert Dahmen. On Twitter, the Green politician explains that it makes sense to remain considerate at least until the end of winter.
Above all, as Dahmen makes it clear, when almost 10 million people in Germany are currently ill. Wearing a mask indoors, self-testing and washing hands are therefore still appropriate.
The Green politician makes it clear:
“The health service is walking on the cane, little reserves for Corona carelessness in the last few meters.”
FDP man Wolfgang Kubicki sees the situation very differently. Like his party colleague Marco Buschmann, he also calls for an immediate end to the measures. With this statement by Drosten, “the basis for any restriction of fundamental rights to contain the corona virus is withdrawn,” said Kubicki in the “daily mirror“.
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.” The federal states must now end their respective measures, the FDP politician demanded.
(With material from dpa)
Lars Klingbeil has been the co-chair of the SPD for a year now. A year in which Germany, Europe and the world were hit by a number of crises: war, energy crisis, corona, inflation – to name just a few. The federal government has already launched various relief packages.
