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Germany’s Plans for Relaxing Covid-19 Rules Revealed

Germany’s Plans for Relaxing Covid-19 Rules Revealed

Berlin, The German government today revealed more details of its plans to ease most of the regulations to contain Covid-19 later this month.

According to draft legislation, after 20 March, German states will still have the power to enforce coronavirus tests and mask-wearing in some areas of life, such as in hospitals, care homes, or on public transport. They could also keep this in schools.

Most other restrictions will no longer be backed by legislation, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said in a press conference alongside Justice Minister Marco Buschmann today.

“As far as possible, we are returning to normal life,” Buschmann said.

The focus in the future will be on containing local outbreaks, with regulations in place to battle “hotspots” even after most Covid-19 restrictions have expired, Lauterbach said.

Such measures targeting hotspots could be introduced on the level of a city district, or city-wide, or even regionally or nationally.

However, the state premier of Baden-Württemberg Winfried Kretschmann criticized the plans, accusing the federal government of gross negligence in the ongoing fight against the pandemic.

Kretschmann said the states have far too few instruments at their disposal and that it would be negligent from the federal government to “give away effective instruments for emergencies without any need.”

“The pandemic situation is very volatile,” Kretschmann told the dpa today.

He criticized, for example, the reduction in compulsory mask-wearing, which he believes is a very effective measure to fight the virus.

Kretschmann also complained that the new legislation was too complicated and said the states have hardly any leeway for quick and effective intervention, he said.

Infection numbers are rising again in Germany. The seven-day incidence rate of new infections hit 1,319 on Wednesday, higher than the day before, and 150 higher than the same day last week. The number of deaths per day also remains stubbornly high, with 314 registered in the past 24 hours.

The hospitalization rate is at 6.62 per 100,000 people over the past week – a slight increase from Monday’s figure.

“I still hope that we can control the increase,” Lauterbach said.

The parliamentary groups are due to examine the proposals tomorrow Thursday.

The law will underpin a decision already taken by Germany’s state and federal governments to lift all major Covid-19 restrictions on 20 March, as long as the number of patients in hospitals is under a certain level.

Source: Oman News Agency