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Germany plans massive cash injection for corona-hit Deutsche Bahn

The German government is planning a multi-billion-euro rescue package for national rail company Deutsche Bahn to help offset the effects of the coronavirus.

Published: 11 May 2020 14:13 CEST

Germany plans massive cash injection for corona-hit Deutsche Bahn

The Deutsche Bahn logo in the sun. Photo: DPA

Demand for rail travel in Germany has plummeted in recent weeks due to restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus.

Demand for long-distance journeys fell by 90 percent in April, with local journeys down 80 percent and even freight traffic falling 40 percent, according to the document.

READ: Rise in coronavirus infections spurs concern across Germany

The state-owned Deutsche Bahn group as a whole is expecting to lose 11 to 13.5 billion euros ($11.9-$14.6 billion) between 2020 and 2024, with the rail network alone expected to account for 8.2 to 10.2 billion euros of this.

The company is hoping to find half of this sum — 4.1 to 5.1 billion euros — through cost-saving measures such as putting staff on shorter hours and scrapping bonuses.

The government will provide 75 percent of the rest, with an initial capital injection of 4.5 billion euros expected “in the coming weeks” and the rest towards the end of the year, according to a document seen by AFP.

The company's debt limit will also be increased from a current ceiling of 25.4 billion euros.

The plans must first be approved by the budget committee in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, as well as the European Commission.

A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn declined to comment on the report but pointed to a planned supervisory board meeting on Friday.

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Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI, the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent.

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI.

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI.

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests.

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well.

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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