Finally, the restrictive measures that were in force in Germany since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago, from midnight Saturday to Sunday. Restrictions on the pandemic have already been lifted in some states as of today, but most are expected to follow tomorrow, Sunday.
Under the revised Infection Protection Act ratified by the German parliament, in most German L .nder the mandatory use of the mask in retail stores, cultural venues and schools is coming to an end. The same applies to mandatory indoor controls for vaccination status, coronavirus disease or testing.
Exceptions for critical hotspot structures and states
There are, however, some exceptions for public transport, buses or trains, hospitals and nursing homes. Also states that will henceforth be declared “hotspots”, because they are in critical condition due to increased cases and problems in the management of the pandemic, will be able to impose emergency protection measures.
The first two German states to activate this feature were Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Pomerania. In Hamburg in particular, the use of a mask in schools remains mandatory. It is also mandatory to use a mask of increased protection type FFP2 indoors and in stores. A simple medical mask is only allowed in supermarkets or pharmacies.
Strong concern from the medical community
At the same time, the scientific community is skeptical about the lifting of restrictive measures, due to the consistently high cases of coronavirus in the country. Today, more than 195,000 new cases are reported, according to the Robert Koch Epidemiological Institute. In an interview with ZDF, Clemens Wendner, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Munich, said it was “an extremely dangerous experiment” that could endanger human lives, at a time when experts say hospitals will continue to are overcrowded, called to deal with the pandemic on their own.
For her part, Susanne Jonah, president of the German Medical Association Marburger Bund, calls for the continuation of the mandatory use of the mask indoors. As he told the RND specifically for indoor areas, such as restaurants or supermarkets, or the use of a mask is considered important to limit the transmission of the coronavirus. “She reiterates her support for the introduction of compulsory vaccination, at least for those over the age of 50 – unless there is a majority in the German parliament this week in favor of compulsory vaccination over the age of 18.” a “déjà -vu” at risk of a new pandemic wave in the autumn.
DW – Dimitra Kyranoudi
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