Criticism of the corona appeal by the federal and state governments
Representatives of the teaching and medical professions have criticized the corona agreements between the federal government and the states as inadequate.
"What we are witnessing there as a showdown of vanities is not helping anyone," the chairman of the world medical association, frank ulrich montgomery, complained to SWR on tuesday. For the health care system it is five to twelve.
The president of the german teachers association, heinz-peter meidinger, regretted that possible decisions about stricter hygiene rules for schools were postponed to next week. "That could still bitterly revenge", he told the news portal "watson". He warned that more drastic measures might later become necessary. In an interview with the "passauer neue presse," he brought up the idea of a voluntary additional year, which could help students in graduating classes or with special needs to avoid permanent learning deficits.
Chancellor angela merkel admitted that, in her view, some of the decisions reached with the minister-presidents on the corona crisis had been too slow. "I will continue to be the impatient part in this matter," the CDU politician assured the "suddeutsche zeitung" newspaper at a conference.
Merkel had hoped that monday’s meeting with the prime ministers would lead to further tightening of the rules. What remained, however, was an appeal to the citizens to once again significantly reduce their private contacts.
The chancellor expects difficult negotiations with the prime ministers of the countries on a corona strategy by christmas and new year’s eve. "I hope that we will come to other things next week," she said in a virtual meeting of the union faction, according to information from the german press agency. She was quoted by participants as saying: "these are going to be very, very difficult decisions."Merkel’s next consultations with the prime ministers are scheduled for 25. November planned.
The federal association of doctors in the public health service urged mandatory regulations. "The health authorities are up to their necks in water, we can no longer manage to trace the contacts," said chairwoman ute teichert in an interview with WDR2. "Therefore, uniform resolutions have been very helpful for us."
Corona new infections on tuesday were lower than the previous week for the second time in a row. The health authorities reported 14 cases to the robert koch institute (RKI).419 new corona infections – almost 1000 cases less than a week ago. As of last tuesday, the number had reached 15.332 – and thus for the first time since september below the value of the previous tuesday (15.352).
Meanwhile, in berlin, police were preparing for demonstrations and possibly violent protests by opponents of planned new regulations in the infection protection act, on which the bundestag was to vote on wednesday. Meanwhile, the federal ministry of the interior, in agreement with the bundesrat and the bundestag, rejected twelve applications for permission to hold meetings in the vicinity of the two institutions. The security commissioner of the bundestag had previously written to the deputies that the berlin state criminal police office saw cause for concern "that parliamentary business would be impaired, because attacks on the buildings of the german bundestag as well as on individuals" were to be expected.
Members of the bundestag were also bombarded with thousands of critical emails. Many have, according to deputies, identical texts. Some senders drew comparisons to the "ermachtigungsgesetz" of 1933. At that time, the reichstag had disempowered itself and transferred the legislative power to reich chancellor adolf hitler.
The infection control law had already been reformed several times in the wake of the corona pandemic. Among other things, it was introduced that the bundestag can determine an epidemic situation of national scope and cancel it again. If such a situation is established, which the bundestag did in the spring, the federal ministry of health will be given special powers to issue legal decrees without the need for the bundesrat to give its consent. Normally, a yes vote by the state chamber is required for government decrees.
With the renewed reform of the infection control law, further details will now be regulated. Among other things, a new section 28a is to be added to the law, detailing what protective measures can be imposed by state governments and competent authorities against the coronavirus. These include contact restrictions, distance restrictions, mandatory wearing of masks in public areas, and restrictions or closures of businesses and events – in other words, requirements that have already been imposed during the corona pandemic.
Opposition, business associations and lawyers criticize the plan. They see too much encroachment on fundamental rights and call for more say for parliaments in the corona m.
