SHARE
COPY LINK

SÖDER

How Bavaria’s leader wants to tighten mask rules across Germany

Bavarian state premier Markus Söder has called for tougher nationwide uniform rules on wearing face masks in view of rising Covid-19 cases.

How Bavaria's leader wants to tighten mask rules across Germany
Bavarian state leader Markus Söder on Monday. Photo: DPA

Söder, who's the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), wants to see face masks become mandatory in schools, public places and in the workplace across Germany when the number of infections increases.

Currently face masks are mandatory on public transport and in shops throughout Germany. In some areas the mask obligation has also been extended to schools and workplaces, and on some streets.

What could a general mask rule look like?

According to Söder, the rules for a nationwide “general mask obligation” (allgemeine Maskenpflicht) should take a 'traffic light system' approach.

– If a region clocks up more than 35 new infections per 100,000 residents within seven days, masks should be compulsory in heavily frequented public places and secondary schools. And when the limit passes 50 cases per 100,000 residents in seven days, masks should be extended to primary schools and after-school centres.

– Söder also called for a nationwide obligation to wear masks in the workplace if minimum distances cannot be observed, and if the warning value exceeds 35 new infections per 100,000 people in seven days.

– Meanwhile, he said that the rest of the states should follow the Bavarian example and impose, for example, a 10pm curfew for restaurants when the 7-day warning value has reached 50. He said he was prepared to talk about national rules on curfew hours.

What is the current situation?

Chancellor Merkel and the state leaders reached an agreement on new measures to contain the pandemic last week, which included extending the obligation to wear masks in coronavirus hotspots.

They decided that when a region hits a seven-day value of 35 “a supplementary obligation to wear masks in public places where people come together more closely and/or for longer periods” should be introduced.

At a value of 50, compulsory mask rules should be extended again. But there are no concrete rules on where and how this should be implemented, because it can be regulated by the states.

But due to Germany's federal system which results in states implementing rules in very different ways, critics say residents have been left confused.

There have been growing calls for nationwide uniform rules that are easier to follow.

READ MORE: 'Corona chaos' emerges as Germans baffled by conflicting virus rules

'It will be a lonely Christmas if we can't get numbers under control'

So far, no lockdown restrictions like in spring have been needed in Germany, said Söder. If this is to remain so, “serious community measures must now be taken”.

“Either we will manage to get the figures under control again in the next four weeks – or it will be very difficult,” Söder said, according to those who attended the CSU conference. “Then it will be a lonely Christmas.”

If it isn't possible to bring the infection figures down, contacts cannot be traced by health authorities. That would result in tougher measures, said Söder.

“This will then be the preliminary stage of a lockdown,” warned the CSU chairman. Nobody wants that. “But we are approaching this situation again with big steps all over Germany”.

READ:

Söder called on the entire population to join forces in the fight against the virus and to show more solidarity, echoing Merkel's recent message.

“It is not about following the state,” he said.”We need solidarity between generations and solidarity within a society”

The most vulnerable had to be protected by everyone, he said.

Söder believes Germany is facing an extremely difficult situation. And it's harder than in spring because cold weather makes it difficult to be outdoors.

Politically, there was “much more unity, much more backing” in the first pandemic wave, he said.

“The overall success of the corona pandemic wave is not defined by regulations or fines, but crucially by the willingness of the population to participate in the response to the pandemic,” Söder added.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HEALTH

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

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

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

SHOW COMMENTS