The Omikron variant creates uncertainty in politics and society. Calls for tougher measures are growing. That is why a corona summit will take place on Tuesday.
- On Tuesday, the federal and state governments will discuss a new one Corona summit*.
- The central point of contention are those corona-Rules *, among other things, stricter contact restrictions are required. The reason given is the spread of Omicron variant* called.
- Another lockdown in Germany is also being discussed.
- The news about the Corona summit in the news ticker.
+++ 8.10 p.m .: German sport, including the Bundesliga, is threatened with the return of ghost games from December 28th. This emerges from the draft resolution for the federal-state meeting on Tuesday. “National sports, cultural and comparable major events will take place without spectators from December 28, 2021 at the latest,” it says. Football fans will probably have to get used to ghost games again. The second half of the Bundesliga season begins on January 7th, 2022. Up to 15,000 spectators are currently allowed in the stadiums.
In a corona summit scheduled for tomorrow at short notice, the federal and state governments are discussing concrete measures to combat the pandemic.
Resolution proposal for the Corona summit: These rules are planned by the federal and state governments
+++ 2.45 p.m .: The draft resolution of the Corona summit became known on Monday afternoon. According to consistent media reports, it contains the following points:
- Contact restrictions: The contact restrictions for unvaccinated people should remain in place. These have proven themselves, it is said – in other words: the 2G or 2G-Plus rule. Contact restrictions for vaccinated and convalescent are new. From December 28, 2021, new rules will apply: Accordingly, a maximum of ten vaccinated or recovered people may participate in private meetings. This applies both indoors and outdoors. Children under the age of 14 should not be affected.
- Christmas: During the Christmas holidays, politicians are calling on the population to deal responsibly with contacts. There is a call to celebrate Christmas only with close relatives and friends. A test recommendation applies.
- New Year’s Eve: On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve, the ban on joining and gathering applies. At private meetings, a recommendation applies to be tested for the corona virus. “In particular, New Year’s Eve celebrations with a large number of people are not responsible in the current situation,” says the draft resolution.
- Clubs and discos: Clubs and discos should be closed indoors.
- Major events: Large events should be clearly limited nationwide. According to the resolution proposed by the Corona summit, only 30 to 50 percent of the capacity should be used for events in closed rooms in the future. The same should apply outdoors. It is recommended to wear a medical mask in both areas. As already decided, the 2G rule applies to major events. The 2G Plus model will continue to be available as an option.
- “Emergency plan”: As already indicated by several responsible persons, an “emergency” plan is to be drawn up for the critical infrastructure. In the future, the Omikron variant will be monitored centrally via the Corona crisis team in the Chancellery, under the direction of Major General Carsten Breuer.
The next Corona summit is already planned for January 2022.
+++ 1:15 p.m .: To curb the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus, the SPD is relying on additional contact restrictions, including for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. However, these should only come into force after the Christmas holidays, said party leader Lars Klingbeil on Monday after the first meeting of the new party executive in Berlin. Robert Habeck had previously spoken of contact restrictions in the new year (see update from 10.45 a.m.). Klingbeil also announced resolutions to protect the so-called critical infrastructure in Germany.
Corona summit: Talks on Monday
Klingbeil and co-party leader Saskia Esken referred to the Corona summit between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the prime ministers of the countries at which the additional measures should be decided. There were already talks between the federal and state governments on Monday at the management level of the state chancelleries. In addition to the fact that the stricter contact rules should not be implemented immediately, Esken said: “We do not want to shelve the invitations that have been issued for Christmas.” However, there should also be additional restrictions for major sporting events. In addition, clubs and discos should be closed where this is not already the case.
The SPD leaders did not mention a possible lockdown in January. “There are no red lines,” said Klingbeil, however, if the spread of the Omikron variant increases and the measures decided up to then prove to be inadequate. “Then all other measures must also be conceivable,” emphasized the party leader.
Corona summit: Söder attacks traffic light coalition
+++ 12.45 p.m .: In the run-up to the Corona summit, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder* once again criticized the abolition of the epidemic situation of national importance. He said this on Monday at a press conference on the ability of politics to act. In addition, he attacked the new traffic light coalition, as different opinions of the three parties on corona measures would be circulating in public: “The traffic light is not yet in the correct corona mode.”
Söder also said that a new corona lockdown might be necessary to get the situation under control. He highlighted the booster vaccinations as the most important measure against the Omikron variant.
Corona summit: Habeck talks about new contact restrictions – also for vaccinated people
+++ 10.45 a.m .: Obviously, extensive contact restrictions are also planned for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said this on Monday morning on Deutschlandfunk. The time for this is probably the beginning of January, says Habeck. That will be clarified at the Corona summit taking place on Tuesday.
A comprehensive lockdown should, however, be avoided as far as possible: “I think we have other options for a more differentiated approach,” said Habeck. He is certain, however, “that clubs and discos will close” and “that we will also reduce contacts for vaccinated people indoors”. Tightening are probably inevitable. “We certainly have to sharpen the measures,” said the Green politician.
Corona summit: This is what the federal and state governments are planning
First report from Monday, December 20, 2021, 9 a.m .: Berlin – On Tuesday there will be another corona summit, at which the federal and state governments want to discuss how to proceed in the pandemic. The background to the consultations is the spread of the highly infectious Omikron variant of Sars-CoV-2 in Germany and Europe.
As a possible decision of the Corona summit, tightened contact restrictions are already in the room. It is still completely unclear whether these already apply over the Christmas holidays or whether they should only affect New Year’s Eve, for example. It is also uncertain who the contact restrictions will apply to. In the run-up to the summit it is discussed that vaccinated and convalescent people could also be affected. The reason for this is the fear of overloading the health system. The new Expert Council of the Federal Government urged such contact restrictions. In a statement it said: “Effective nationwide coordinated countermeasures to control the infection process” should be prepared for the “coming days”.
Corona summit: new contact restrictions and lockdown?
In addition to new contact restrictions, a new lockdown could also come. The voices after such a measure are currently louder. For example, Janosch Dahmen, a member of the Bundestag, brought Greens*, a lockdown into the game. “We have to get ahead of the Omikron wave with our measures. Our actions today will determine tomorrow’s pandemic situation, ”he told the dpa. “Given the extremely high transferability of Omikron, we will probably not be able to avoid a lockdown after Christmas. A possible scenario would be a well-planned lockdown at the beginning of January, ”said Dahmen in an interview.
Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, also emphasized that a new lockdown could not be ruled out: “There is a risk that we will have to go into a new lockdown,” Reinhardt told Tagesspiegel.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach*, however, ruled out a new lockdown. However, he was referring to a possible lockdown before Christmas. So far, he has given little information on regulations after the Christmas holidays. Nevertheless, Lauterbach emphasized that new contact restrictions are needed in order to counter the pandemic effectively. (do with dpa / AFP) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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