Maybrit Illner (ZDF): The sudden change of Karl Lauterbach

At Maybrit Illner on ZDF there is a violent dispute between Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and FPD man Marco Buschmann, the upcoming Federal Minister of Justice.

Berlin – “Do we have to count guests again at Christmas?” Maybrit Illner asks the group on ZDF, and plays a few shots of empty pedestrian zones with sadly flashing Advent decorations to warm up. She wants her guests’ sake to see whether the “battle for terms” from “epidemic emergency” to “federal emergency brake”, with a view to the catalog of measures just decided by the federal-state summit, finally ends and solutions give way. Yes, everyone assures. But two fighters will attack each other violently in the course of the show.

Eva Quadback, deputy editor-in-chief and head of the German capital office, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, identified who was to blame for the current worrying pandemic situation early on in the discussion at Maybrit Illner: “Everyone is to blame,” she thinks: the countries, the executive government and the traffic light coalitionists. “The opposition must stop urgently”, appeals to Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) on ZDF, presumably also to himself. It should no longer be a question of “who wins a political battle”. Unfortunately, the resolutions don’t last until the end of the evening.

Maybrit Illner (ZDF): Karl Lauterbach as the reconciler of the evening

SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, on the other hand, no longer takes on his usual role of warner and admonisher on ZDF, but that of reconciler. After all, thanks to the newly established federal-state crisis team, science had “an enormous influence” on the current decisions. The result is “an instrument box for Olaf Scholz”, which provides for large-scale 2G use, masking requirements in schools and closed clubs from certain incidences. Maybrit Illner wants to know from the “Health Minister of the Heart” who should now hold this office in the future. But Lauterbach is silent.

Maybrit Illner (ZDF): Marco Buschmann and Michael Kretschmer grumble in stereo

The designated Justice Minister Marko Buschmann from the FPD, on the other hand, uses every opportunity early on to point out previous achievements and to hand out tips wherever possible. That brings him angry looks from Eva Quadbeck and finally a violent exchange of blows with Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. In his federal state he has to struggle with the lowest vaccination rate of 58 percent and at the same time with a high density of lateral thinkers and corona deniers who draw their information from sources such as the messaging service “Telegram”. Kretschmer would like the future Federal Minister of Justice to deal with this problem. Buschmann counters poisonous and quite incoherently, Kretschmann should rather “implement the vaccination measures sensibly” and call for federal funds. “You can’t talk to me like that,” Kretschmer says indignantly. Even Maybrit Illner cannot stop the minute-long stereo ranting, that is what the reconciler of this ZDF evening, Karl Lauterbach, has to do: “We have to stick together, otherwise we won’t get any further”.

Maybrit Illner asks ZDF about the seriousness of the situation

How serious the current situation really is, Maybrit Illner wants to be confirmed by Christine Falk, President of the German Society for Immunology (DgfI). It does that promptly: “If we don’t get these numbers under control, the intensive capacities will be too scarce before Christmas”. After all, the intensive care physicians have been warning for months. So what are the chances that the warnings will be heard? “The seriousness of the situation is now understood across all parties,” says Karl Lauterbach. In August he was almost laughed at when he wanted to leave the vaccination centers open. “Now there is a completely different spirit”.

Happy ending not in sight for Maybrit Illner on ZDF either

But whether it still comes to the unvaccinated in Saxony? Eva Quadbeck, taking up the “Telegram” debate once again, says that a “very special truth” has formed there, especially in the group of lateral thinkers, the change in policy with a view to the upcoming vaccination requirement is causing a severe “loss of confidence” . Michael Kretschmer points out that there is still the possibility of distinguishing between mandatory and mandatory vaccinations. And now Marco Buschmann has also understood that he will not get any further with a riot in this ZDF round. With a slightly ironic comment by Maybrit Illner, he made an offer of reconciliation to Kretschmer: “At this point we are very close”. There should be fines instead of physical coercion when it comes to compulsory vaccination. “That takes some of the fear away from many,” says Buschmann.

This means that Marko Buschmann will no longer be the man of hearts that evening at Maybrit Illner. And even after repeated inquiries, the ZDF host does not find out whether the “health minister of the heart” Karl Lauterbach might not actually become health minister after all. At least Lauterbach and immunologist Christine Falk are giving away a bit of hope: “The vaccination we have now makes a very good basic immunization,” says Christine Falk. This even includes the omicron variant, with slight cutbacks. And Lauterbach confidently says: “The models show that the options now decided are on the whole sufficient”. It almost sounds like Christmas could be a little brighter than 2020. (Teresa Schomburg)