Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) reaps criticism from Anne Will (ARD) for his Corona policy. Christian Lindner (FDP) distributes against Angela Merkel (CDU).
Berlin – At the beginning of the talk with Anne Will there was an up-to-date excursus on the so-called “K question”. Tina Hassel from the ARD capital studio gave a short overview of current events in the struggle for the Union’s candidacy for chancellor between Armin Laschet (CDU) and Markus Söder (CSU) via video switch.
On Sunday evening, the Bavarian country father Söder landed in his private jet in Berlin, where the confrontation with Laschet is now pending. “A thriller,” says Hassel. The Chancellor question was more than just a look-up to the Sunday “crime scene”, however, as a prologue to the panel discussion with Anne Will herself. Because the bitter realization that the approaching election campaign is being fought on the back of the pandemic situation ran through the show as a leitmotif .
Anne Will (ARD): Is the sharp “federal emergency brake” in the corona pandemic effective?
With the memory of almost 80,000 corona deaths, Anne Will introduced the actual topic: The tightening of the Infection Protection Act, with which the government wants to introduce a nationwide corona emergency brake. The following speaking time dealt with different priorities in the measures.
Invited were the FDP party leader Christian Lindner , the parliamentary group leader of the Greens in the Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckardt , the Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) and the ruling Berlin mayor Michael Müller (SPD) four representatives from top politics. In the studio, the head of the “Spiegel” capital office, Melanie Amann, joined in the discussion, and the Cologne University Clinic Director Michael Hallek was there live .
Michael Hallek at Anne Will (ARD): “There is already cold triage”
Hallek painted a gloomy picture of the occupancy rate in German intensive care beds. Hallek admits that his warning in the Kölner Stadtanzeiger last Tuesday that the dreaded triage will occur within a week has not been fulfilled. Fortunately, the number of infections has increased less than feared.
| Guest of Anne Will (ARD) | function |
| Christian Lindner | FDP party chairman |
| Katrin Göring-Eckardt | Leader of the Greens in the Bundestag |
| Peter Altmaier | Federal Minister of Economics, CDU |
| Michael Müller | Governing Mayor of Berlin, SPD |
| Melanie Amann | Head of the Spiegel capital city studio |
| Michael Hallek | Director of the Cologne University Clinic |
But there is already a “cold triage” in which deferred operations are canceled. With a view to further developments, there is “no more time,” said Hallek. Therefore, the NoCovid advocate advocates a nationwide regulation that should be adopted within five days. “Intensive care units are not a place people long for,” he polemicizes.
Christian Lindner calls for “constitutionally clean rules” from Anne Will (ARD)
Hallek sees the clock at 5 past 12, but Christian Lindner rejects any abbreviated legislation. After the FDP boss teased the botched Easter silence and the recent cancellation of the Prime Minister’s Conference, he casts doubt on the tightened Infection Protection Act. The draft law of the federal government represents a “very sensitive interference with the fundamental rights of the people”, says Lindner, the controversial curfew, for example, has already been overturned by some higher courts.
Lindner also doubts the sole focus on the sheer incidence value and calls for “constitutionally clean rules.” In addition, Lindner, who previously spoke out in favor of more participation in the Bundestag, would like to see legislation coordinated with the federal states. From Melanie Amann, this brought him the accusation of a lurching course.
Katin Göring-Eckardt at Anne Will (ARD): “The virus is happy about our concerns.”
The Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt was emphatically annoyed during Lindner’s remarks, but in the end she also finds the law “not good”. “The virus is happy about our concerns,” says Göring-Eckardt. The emergency brake is necessary and must also apply in working life.
Göring-Eckardt gets into a dispute with Peter Altmaier regarding the obligation to test in companies. This, in turn, lists the Federal Government’s previous successes in coping with the corona pandemic and refers to new regulations for companies in the current bill. When asked that Merkel’s announcement of a quick turnaround was already three weeks ago, Altmaier replied: “The government can only do what it is allowed to do according to the Basic Law.” The law was introduced very quickly.
Michael Müller calls for Anne Will (ARD) to take measures “with a sense of proportion”
Melanie Amann fears that the planned regulations on openings and closings could produce a “yo-yo effect” based on the incidence of the past three days. With regard to the fundamental rights cuts in the fight against corona, the “Spiegel” editor made a fundamentally drastic statement: It is the very first task of the state to protect the health and lives of people – “going out comes afterwards.”
As chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference, the Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller (SPD) initially admits that the unsuccessful Easter peace “did not cover oneself with fame.” With the current approach, he would like to see previous scientific findings more taken into account. It has been proven that the risk of infection outside is much lower than inside. Müller wants to decide on measures “with a sense of proportion” and points out the psychological situation of the population, in particular the needs of people in cramped and precarious living conditions.
Michael Hallek, who is a clinician, demands from Anne Will (ARD): Everyone must pull together
It was sometimes very confused at Anne Will’s first. The tone was characterized by buzzwords and clear positions including counter-speeches, a noticeable hint of election campaigning wafted the debate. The opinions differed particularly with regard to the world of work and the encroachments on fundamental rights through the tightened Infection Protection Act.
Only the clinic director Michael Hallek did not want to discuss “nuances” and called on “all democratic forces” to quickly pull together. Whether long-lasting corona measures and cuts in the basic rights of the population are perhaps more than a “nuance” is another matter. (Christian Horn)
