Some German federal states introduce restrictive measures, Bavaria cancels all fairs

(Patria) - The upper house of the German parliament, the Bundesrat, has adopted amendments to the Infection Protection Act, allowing federal states to introduce additional measures according to the epidemiological situation, while the Robert Koch Institute simultaneously appealed for people to work and stay at home to prevent further spread of the infection.

- The whole of Germany is one large hotbed of a sudden outbreak of infection. This is a national state of emergency. We must pull the emergency brake, said the director of the state epidemiological Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler.

Health Minister in the caretaker government, Jens Spahn, and Lothar Wieler, at a joint press conference, called on citizens to reduce contacts to a minimum and to stay at home. The director of the Robert Koch Institute demanded an urgent response from state and federal authorities and the introduction of additional measures.

- Places of sudden spread of infection, such as cafes and bars, must be closed. The same applies to events with a larger number of people, said Wieler. Spahn said that the vaccination rate is increasing, but that this alone will not be enough to mitigate the fourth pandemic wave.

The Bundesrat adopted the amendments to the Infection Protection Act, which were passed a day earlier in the Bundestag. According to this law, from next Wednesday, a rule will be introduced whereby only persons who are vaccinated, have recovered, or have been tested will have access to the workplace and public transport. The measures contained in the amendment also include a return to working from home wherever possible, as well as an obligation for daily testing for employees in healthcare facilities and nursing homes.

Measures such as general restrictions on contacts and movement are not currently provided for by this law. However, federal states are left open to introduce additional measures themselves according to the epidemiological situation. Thus, on Friday, Bavaria decided to cancel all Advent fairs and ordered the closure of clubs and bars. The Bavarian premier announced the measures, adding that the closure of clubs and bars was introduced initially for three weeks.

In addition, at yesterday's meeting, federal and state authorities agreed on the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals as a new benchmark for introducing additional measures. Already now, in most federal states, the so-called 2G rule is in effect, whereby access to public, catering, and cultural facilities is only allowed to persons who are vaccinated or have recovered from coronavirus. In the event of an increase in the so-called hospital index, i.e., if the number of people being treated in hospital for coronavirus exceeds 6 patients per 100,000 inhabitants, stricter rules will be introduced, whereby, for example, even vaccinated individuals will need a fresh negative test to enter a restaurant, the so-called 2Gplus rule.

On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute recorded new record values related to the coronavirus. The number of infected people increased by 52,970 in one day, and the seven-day incidence is 340. A month ago, the incidence was 75.1, showing a sharp deterioration of the epidemiological situation in Germany.