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Germany to thrash out tougher Covid measures on Thursday

Political leaders are to bring forward planned Covid crisis talks by a week - and will decide on new restrictions aimed at taming the fourth wave.

Published: 30 November 2021 17:33 CET

A sign for Covid rules at a Christmas market in Frankfurt.

A sign for Covid rules at a Christmas market in Frankfurt. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Julia Cebella

A remote meeting was held on Tuesday between outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

However – as planned – no new restrictions have been announced. They will instead be decided on later this week at the State Premiers’ Minister Conference (MPK). This meeting is scheduled for Thursday instead of December 9th.

At Tuesday’s meeting, political leaders discussed possible Covid measures, including mandatory vaccinations, in light of the drastic fourth wave that has seen intensive care units struggling in many parts of the country.

READ ALSO: Germany’s next chancellor Scholz ‘backs compulsory vaccinations’

Other restrictions on the table include the closures of bars and clubs, and limiting large events.

Bavarian premier Markus Söder told reporters he expected Bundesliga football games to return to playing to empty stands, following an outcry over
a packed stadium in Cologne at the weekend.

“It’s clear that something needs to change when it comes to football,” Söder said.

Several hard-hit German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony, have already cancelled Christmas markets and barred the unvaccinated from public spaces like gyms and leisure facilities.

But critics say the patchwork of rules is confusing, and many are calling for nationwide rules.

According to sources, Scholz told participants at the talks that he is in favour of barring the unvaccinated from more parts of public life, including non-essential retail.

Scholz said he also wanted to see 30 million Covid jabs administered to people in Germany by Christmas. He suggested that more professionals should be able to carry out jabs, such as dentists and vets, to get more vaccines into arms.

It came after Germany’s highest court ruled that the ’emergency brake’ measures brought in earlier this year which included curfews and contact restrictions were lawful.

There have been calls for the country to reintroduce the emergency brake to get a grip on the current situation.

READ ALSO: Will Germany bring in Covid ’emergency brake’ restrictions?

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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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