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On Sunday, March 20, Germany was to follow European countries such as Denmark and Sweden and lift pandemic restrictions completely. Meanwhile, the parliament decided to introduce a specific grace period until April 2. This means that all decisions are currently the responsibility of the governments of individual federal states, most of which are not eager to immediately exempt citizens from the obligation to vaccinate, wear masks or maintain social distancing.
- It was announced that on March 20, Germany would lift covid restrictions and normality would return. However, this did not happen
- The country is currently facing a large number of new infections. The Omikron variant is driving another wave of infections
- Politicians do not agree whether it is time to withdraw the restrictions. There is a lot of friction in the government
- Dr. Krzysztof Pujdak, who works at the Herford Klinikum, comments on the epidemic situation in Germany.
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Germany began easing covid restrictions as early as February, even though federal regulations regarding the coronavirus pandemic were in place until Saturday, March 19. Meanwhile, the day before, our western neighbors broke another record of new COVID-19 cases – 1706 per 100. residents. There were a total of almost 300 thousand. infections, which puts this country at the forefront of Europe. Institute of Infectious Diseases Robert Koch reported that the death toll increased by 226 and reached a total of 126. 646. On Saturday, the eighth day in a row, the number of infected remained at a high level, and fell slightly on Sunday, March 20 – almost 132 thousand. new cases.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned last week that the rising infection rate “did not bode well”. On the other hand, however, the number of people with COVID-19 lying in intensive care units is now more than half that at the end of 2021, and experts predict it will continue to decline. The number of patients admitted to hospitals is also rapidly decreasing. It is similar with the number of deaths, which was the highest in December, although still remained well below the level at the beginning of 2021.
– In fact, we have recently had a very high rate of infection, the number of positive tests has increased – says Krzysztof Pujdak, MD, PhD from Herford Klinikum. – The last few weeks are 9 million positive PCR test results. But at the same time, almost no one is seriously ill, no new COVID-19 patient has arrived in the intensive care unit at my clinic for three months. Infection with the Omikron variant is mild.
Current data say that approx. 2,2 thousand. people with COVID-19 are in intensive care units. That’s less than half of the patients treated there in the peak of the third wave induced by the Delta variant.
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Further part below the video.
Clear friction is visible within the ruling coalition. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach says the situation is much worse than the mood. Both he and Chancellor Scholz (both from the Social Democratic Party – SPD) supported the maintenance of most pandemic restrictions and the obligation to vaccinate all Germans over the age of 18. The liberal Free Democrats (FDP), who form a coalition with the SPD alongside the Greens, do not agree with this.
– Disputes between supporters and opponents of the lifting of restrictions were very fierce – says Dr. Pujdak. – Supporters of the restriction found strong support in traditional and social media. For example, the hashtag #freedummday appeared on Twitter. Dumm means stupid in German. He was supposed to emphasize that giving up masks or other pandemic restrictions is utter foolishness.
Despite this, the German parliament last week approved legislation treating SARS-CoV-2 as an endemic virus.
– Freedom Day was announced by the federal minister of justice, Marco Buschmann, who is a member of the FDP – explains Dr. Pujdak. – He promised that all the coronavirus restrictions will disappear after March 20 and it will be another big step towards normality. The minister emphasized that now the personal responsibility of citizens is coming to the fore. A special law defining the pandemic policy was in force only until midnight on March 19, and in this situation new regulations were needed.
According to them, 16 regional governments may introduce their own anti-covid regime in areas with high infection rates from Sunday, March 20. Local security measures include mandatory face masks and a 1,5-meter distance in public places. In addition, the requirement to present proof of vaccination, convalescence or test results before entering certain establishments or workplaces may be maintained.
– The possibility has been allowed that if a part of a federal state becomes the so-called hot spot, i.e. it will record an exceptionally high number of COVID-19 cases, additional restrictions may be announced in this area – says Dr. Pujdak. – The Bavarians immediately benefited from this regulation, as they have always had extremely strict restrictions. They decided to check whether the entire federal state could not be described as a hot spot, so as not to change anything.
Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek warned that lifting the restrictions was irresponsible, and the media reported: “Instead of the day of freedom, the day of irrationality is approaching”. Bavaria said it would maintain the requirement to wear masks in confined spaces until April 2, as did previous regulations restricting access to nightclubs, restaurants and cafes.
Most of the remaining federal states, including the most densely populated North Rhine-Westphalia, have announced that they will maintain the mask requirement until next month.
In several federal states, covid restrictions were slightly eased last weekend. Bavaria lifted party attendance limits and allowed music and dancing in restaurants. The popular tourist region of Schleswig-Holstein, on the other hand, made it possible for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to visit restaurants and stay in hotels.
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Ralf Reintjes, professor of epidemiology at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, believes that easing the restrictions is a purely political decision and that there is no epidemiological justification for setting an arbitrary date for Freedom Day.
«From the point of view of an epidemiologist, the first thing would be to reduce the number of new cases. And when the risk is lower, the restrictions can be gradually loosened »- he said.
German experts agree that it is impossible to say with certainty what next year will bring. Marco Binder, virologist and head of a research group at the German Cancer Research Center, stated that Omikron was “virological luck, but it cannot be assumed that it will not change.”
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“The next coronavirus variant that will appear sooner or later could be completely different,” added Binder. “There is no way to predict whether it will be more or less infectious than Omicron.”
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach shares this opinion: “Omicron or not, it will get nasty again in the fall, and millions of stubborn anti-vaccines are responsible for the fact that the country is not making progress.”
Interestingly, the head of German health protection also defended the policy of easing restrictions, saying that the government cannot justify maintaining broad restrictions on citizens’ freedom if the health system is not threatened with overload.
– Theoretically, it is possible to overload the German health care system – notes Dr. Pujdak – but the overload we are dealing with now results from the fact that a lot of people employed in health care are tested and very often the tests give a positive result. It is connected with quarantine and shortages in nursing and medical staff that are difficult to compensate. Many hospital beds are empty. They are blocked due to a lack of doctors and nurses.
– On the other hand, Minister Lauterbach often expresses contradictory opinions – adds Dr. Pujdak. – He announced that Freedom Day would be only when the pandemic ends, and it will happen in a few years … He also urges us to get used to the state of restriction of freedom, because this is the new normality of the times of a long-lasting pandemic. In early January, he announced that the Omikron was life-threatening for the unvaccinated, and a month and a half later said that he had long known that it was much milder than the Delta variant. He also stated that by the end of winter they would all be either healed, vaccinated, or dead. On the Internet, we can find a lot of similar entries by his authorship.
The current regulations, such as the requirements for wearing masks in confined spaces, e.g. in shops or schools, and the 2G and 3G rules may apply until April 2 at the latest.
Since last Sunday, when traveling by rail, passengers on Deutsche Bahn trains do not have to show a vaccination certificate, confirmation that they are convalescent, or a negative test result – rule 3G. However, they are still required to wear masks while traveling. The same is the case with long-distance buses.
According to the new law passed by the Bundestag, it is still necessary to get vaccinated, undergo tests and put on masks in hospitals, care facilities and medical clinics. This applies to both staff and visitors.
The obligation to comply with the 3G rule in workplaces has been abolished. Companies are free to set their own rules and change them depending on the level of infection.
The obligation to wear masks in the open has been lifted, but this has long been a dead recipe. All mass events will be organized in front of a full audience. It was also announced that after April 2, children will be released from the obligation to wear masks in schools. We won’t have to wear masks in stores either.
As for the face masks in schools, the president of the German Teachers’ Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, is against completely abandoning them. He warns that without this obligation, schools will become a site of increased viral transmission, especially as Germany is in the middle of an Omicron wave.
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Most Germans are in favor of compulsory vaccinations – well over 60 percent. Compulsory vaccinations are in place in medical facilities, and all health care professionals and those exposed must have proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19.
Although the vaccination rate in Germany, at 75%, is above the EU average, there remains a group of around 2 million unvaccinated over the age of 60, the group most at risk of contracting coronavirus.
– I know public opinion polls which show that between 30 and 40 percent Germans are so afraid of the coronavirus that even after the announcement of the abolition of the obligation to wear masks, they will not take them off – says Dr. Pujdak. – Interestingly, supporters of the center-left parties are in favor of maintaining the restrictions, and voters declaring support for conservative-right parties such as the AFD are against. There is quite a broad consensus, or at least it is presented in such a way that the restrictions should be mitigated very carefully.
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