Holetschek criticizes traffic light plans for future Corona rules: "Leave the countries out in the rain"

The Corona rules will be relaxed in March. Bavaria’s health minister has now criticized the traffic light plans. All news in the ticker.

Update from March 9, 3:10 p.m .: Health Minister Klaus Holetschek has criticized the traffic light plans for future corona rules (see previous update). Bavaria’s Vice Prime Minister and Free Voter Chief Hubert Aiwanger, on the other hand, welcomed the federal government’s plans. Finally there is a fundamental paradigm shift towards more freedom and personal responsibility, Aiwanger told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “The mandatory masks are also falling in schools,” he emphasized. The Free Voters had recently failed to assert themselves against their coalition partner, the CSU.

“Finally no more masks in schools, but tests are still possible and useful depending on the situation,” emphasized Aiwanger. However, he questioned the longer-term continuation of the PCR pool tests in the previous scope. Further developments must be closely monitored here. A lot of money is spent on the PCR pool tests in classes one to six. “If necessary, we can reduce this expenditure.” In local public transport, Aiwanger calls for a departure from the FFP2 mask requirement: “Public transport in Bavaria should also wear surgical masks again, especially when it gets warmer,” he said.

“Citizens and the economy can breathe a sigh of relief because there will be no more restrictions worth mentioning from March 20,” said Aiwanger. The confusion about 2G, 2G plus and 3G is over. Now you have to be just as quick about the isolation and quarantine regulations

Holetschek criticizes traffic light plans for future Corona rules: “Leave the countries out in the rain”

Update from March 9, 1:36 p.m .: Klaus Holetschek (CSU) criticized the federal government’s plans for the new corona rules after March 19 as insufficient and demanded improvements. The further development of Corona is currently not foreseeable – the draft law does not do justice to this, Bavaria’s Minister of Health told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “The federal government urgently needs to improve its draft law and give the federal states more tools so that we don’t run into difficult situations again in the autumn with our eyes wide open.”

According to the draft law, which Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) have agreed on, all far-reaching corona restrictions are to be lifted as planned on March 19. However, general protective measures such as mask requirements in nursing facilities, hospitals and local public transport or compulsory testing in nursing homes and schools should remain possible. In addition, state parliaments should be allowed to pass further conditions if they determine the “concrete danger of a dynamically spreading infection situation”.

“Unfortunately, when it comes to the question of possible protective measures in the future, the federal government is making a slim foot and leaving the federal states out in the rain,” said Holetschek. “It is essential that the countries have a functioning emergency kit after March 19. It must be clear which measures are uniformly possible in an escalating situation. That’s not the case.”

Holetschek criticizes Corona plans for the traffic light

The planned procedure in the state parliaments makes it difficult for the states to react quickly to dangerous developments and to issue any hotspot regulations that may be necessary, he said. The federal government must also clearly state on which valid numerical basis this should be done. “In addition, if there is a risk of inpatient hospital capacity being overloaded, all necessary measures must be taken to prevent this. Then, for example, contact restrictions must also be possible immediately.” After the planned revision of the law, this would be impossible.

Holetschek called the possibility of maintaining compulsory testing, for example in healthcare facilities and schools, fundamentally correct and important. “However, it is incomprehensible that the day-care centers of all things should be excluded from this.”

Pandemic law serves to avert danger, and when it comes to health and life, the state not only has an option to protect, but a duty to protect, said Holetschek. “It is incomprehensible that the countries here should be denied the necessary powers.” Referring to the war in Ukraine, he added: “We are still a long way from a Freedom Day, which I keep hearing about. I wish this to all people in Ukraine today and immediately. It is not suitable for the situation of the pandemic.”

Next Mask requirement at elementary schools: Free voters cannot assert themselves against Söders CSU

Update from March 8, 1:21 p.m .: No agreement among the coalition partners on the subject of compulsory masks in schools. The proposal by the Free Voters to phase out the obligation to wear masks in elementary schools in the coming week apparently fell on deaf ears at the CSU. Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) said at the press conference after today’s cabinet meeting that the “high safety net” in the schools was to be maintained, but the proposal to abolish the obligation to wear masks was unsuccessful.

A small consolation for the students should be that after the Easter holidays, school trips should be allowed again. Piazolo also addressed the good results of the corona tests in schools. It has been shown that the incidence in schools fell by 30 percent during the test-free period during the carnival holidays. This is due to the fact that no testing was carried out during the week. With the Bavarian test strategy, the infection process can be effectively contained, since corona cases are detected in good time. Currently, 2.6 percent of all students in Bavaria are not in face-to-face classes, Piazolo continues. And the number would continue to fall.

Corona in Bavaria: increase in the number of infections

Update from March 8, 10 a.m.: The incidence in Bavaria has increased slightly, but has remained at a similar level for days. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value on Tuesday at 1560.4. For comparison: the previous day the value was 1541.9, a week ago it was 1684.4.

Bavaria incidence remains high – probably many cases that are not recorded in the RKI data

Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data. One reason is the limited capacity of health authorities, for example, and contacts are often only tracked to a limited extent.

There were 392 corona patients in the intensive care units in the Free State on Tuesday (as of 7:05 a.m.). 170 of them had to be ventilated invasively. Compared to a week ago, the number remained about the same: there were 387 corona patients, 160 of whom were ventilated.

Söder’s coalition partner calls for the end of important corona measures in Bavaria: “Out of date”

Update from March 8, 6:15 a.m .: School started again on Monday after the carnival holidays. Masks are not compulsory in sports lessons, they remain in place in lessons (see first registration). But for how much longer? The Free Voters are calling for an end to the mask requirement in Bavaria’s primary schools. “The mask requirement is now out of date, because masks at school are in stark contrast to parties in the discotheque,” said parliamentary group leader Florian Streibl on Monday evening of the German Press Agency in Munich. The mask requirement in elementary schools should fall by next Monday (March 14) at the latest, said Streibl, referring to a decision by the board of the state parliamentary group of free voters and the Ministry of Education. “The mask requirement in secondary schools should then be abolished in the near future,” he emphasized.

So far, the Free Voters, like the CSU, have always defended the obligation to wear masks in schools as an important measure to protect against the further spread of the corona pandemic

Incidence in Bavaria is increasing – school starts after vacation: A corona rule is changing

First report from March 7th: Munich – The seven-day incidence in Bavaria has risen again with just over 20,600 new infections. The Robert Koch Institute* (RKI) gave the value on Monday as 1541.9 (as of 3:33 a.m.) – after 1507.1 on Sunday and 1696 on Monday a week ago. The number of deaths related to the virus increased by 4 to 21,582.

Corona virus in Bavaria: The 3 districts with the highest incidences

Corona incidence in Bavaria is increasing: RKI assumes only limited validity of the data

The validity of the data is still considered limited. Experts assume that many cases are not recorded in the RKI data. Test capacities and health authorities are at the limit in many places, contacts are only traced to a limited extent. In addition, more and more people should no longer have their infection confirmed with a PCR test – in such cases, the infection is not included in the official statistics.

There were 368 corona patients in the intensive care units in the Free State on Monday. 158 of them had to be ventilated invasively.

Relaxation of the Corona rules in Bavaria (video)

The Bavarian cabinet recently decided on new corona relaxations for Bavaria. What is now changing for the people in the Free State, an overview of the rules.*

Corona in Bavaria: School starts after the carnival holidays – masks are no longer compulsory in physical education classes

For the students in the Free State, the second half of the school year begins this Monday. After the end of the one-week carnival holiday, they will now regularly test for a corona infection again. Masks are still compulsory in class, but they can be removed in physical education classes in the future.

The professional association of paediatricians recently called for the obligation to carry out corona tests* in schools to be lifted and the mask requirement to be fundamentally reviewed. However, according to the Ministry of Health, Bavaria does not initially want to change anything in its test strategy. “Bavaria will adjust the measures step by step as the development of the pandemic makes it necessary and possible,” said the spokeswoman. (kam/dpa) *Merkur.de/bayern is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubrics: © Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa