Who supports and who disputes the semi lockdown decided by Merkel in Germany
All the details on what in Germany is called the light lockdown in force since Monday 2 November. Activities that are closed and those that remain open. Those in favor of drastic measures and those against. The in-depth study by Pierluigi Mennitti from Berlin
Germany enters what is referred to as a light lockdown on Monday, November 2, two days earlier than the government's initial draft anticipated. This draft, discussed in the online summit with the presidents of the Länder, defines the restrictions that will affect the country for the entire month of November. They were launched on the day the Koch Institute communicated the new record of daily infections: 14,964.
THE WORDS OF MERKEL
"We are facing an exponential growth, the doubling of cases is always faster, as well as that of admissions to intensive care", began Angela Merkel at the end of the meeting, "the hospital system is holding up at the moment, but if growth continues at this rate in a few weeks will reach its limits. We must therefore act, and now, to avoid a national health emergency. We need a national effort ”.
THE NUMBERS OF THE INFECTION IN GERMANY
The most controversial point is the closure of bars and restaurants, which will only be allowed to take away work. Not all presidents agreed and, while the confrontation between Angela Merkel and regional presidents unfolded through videos, in the Brandenburg Gate square in Berlin, a stone's throw from the chancellery, the restaurateurs protested, supported by tour operators and organizers of big events. Among other things, they argue that their sector is not the cause of the explosion of infections. The Chancellor indirectly answered them during the press conference, confessing an alarming fact: "For 75% of infections we no longer know the origin". The decision to reimburse small businesses (up to 15 employees) 75% of the turnover recorded in November 2019, 70% to larger businesses, could alleviate the inconvenience for the sectors affected by the November closures. Money that will arrive quickly and without bureaucratic complications (no reporting obligation) on the current accounts of the holders, assures the government. An expense that Scholz estimates between 7 and 10 billion for a month of blockade.
SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS REMAIN OPEN
The package of new measures is drastic and, apart from the opening of schools and kindergartens and that of shops, brings Germany back very close to the weeks of March and April, those of the actual lockdown. The goal: to minimize contacts and bring the number of new infections below 50 in one week per 100,000 inhabitants. A figure that would allow the resumption of tracing, at the moment skipped in many German districts despite the local health units having been reinforced by the contribution of 15,000 soldiers.
THE MEETINGS
Meetings allowed only with relatives of one's own family or at most with another nucleus, in a number never exceeding 10 people. Ban on parties anywhere, in public places or private homes. Clubs and discos and every other entertainment venue remain sealed. The ban on overnight stays for tourist purposes has been introduced, with an appeal to the Germans to avoid private travel even for visits to relatives.
CLOSED CINEMA AND THEATERS
Closure of cinemas, theaters and concert halls. Suspension of amateur sports activities, closure of gyms and swimming pools. The Bundesliga, the professional football championship, continues, but the closed doors are back: end of the contingent entrance of spectators.
CASH FAIRS
All trade fairs have been canceled, but the larger ones are already studying digital alternatives. This was the case at the Frankfurt Book Fair, held in October on a digital platform. Today the organizers of the Berlin Tourism Fair (Itb), traditionally held in March, announced the all-digital 2021 edition.
WHAT CLOSES
Amusement parks and shops close by appointment, as well as cosmetic, massage, fitness and tattoo studios. Hairdressers remain open, as well as shops and supermarkets, with strengthening of safety and hygiene measures: obligation to establish separate entry and exit routes from the premises, in addition to that of existing masks, and customer quotas (one for every 10 meters squares).
THE HOME OFFICE
The Minister of the Interior also intends to use the tool of covered investigations to prosecute any infringements, which also allow checks regardless of the existence of a suspect. Politically controversial instrument, which has been banned in some Land. Companies are encouraged to favor the home office wherever possible, in order to reduce mobility on public transport and contacts on the workplace.
THE DIFFERENCES WITH THE FIRST WAVE
The biggest difference with the first wave lockdown is in the fact that schools and kindergartens will remain open as long as possible. Six months ago only assistance was guaranteed to the children of parents employed in the so-called strategic sectors: hospitals, public order, public transport, supermarkets, all the other students were sent home. This time the school tries to resist, also because the progress for any distance learning has been disappointing. Institutions are required to strengthen hygiene and safety measures. In all schools, while awaiting ventilation systems (which have not yet arrived, even if they are promised), teachers are called to repeatedly ventilate the classrooms: the principals asked pupils and school operators to dress in heavy jackets and sweaters. The importance of schools and kindergartens for maintaining the productive activity of the country is well known. The mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, also added another reason, which is rarely talked about: in the first wave there were many acts of violence in the family against children and women. Keeping children in school means easing the tension in families, as well as allowing parents to work. In two weeks, the chancellor and regional presidents will meet again for an initial assessment of the effects produced by the new measures.
THE ROLE OF MERKEL
Angela Merkel has therefore taken over the helm in managing the crisis after weeks, despite the resumption of infections, the presidents of the Länder had preferred to focus on limited measures. There remains the autonomy for local decisions, as Berlin has just done, which has extended the obligation of outdoor masks to the busiest streets and squares: a list that is difficult to keep track of.
POLITICAL TENSIONS
This time, however, the political world is not unanimous and compact. In addition to the resistance of some regional presidents, there are those of part of the opposition, from the liberals to the Linke up to the not new one of Afd and of the entire parliament, which complains about the marginalization in the decisions on the management of the pandemic .
THE DIVISIONS
And there is also no lack of division in the health care world on the effectiveness of the lockdown, with a lot of opposition between the most famous virologists in the country. The experts of the Koch Institut, the body that manages the epidemic crisis from the health point of view, and Christian Drosten, director of the virology department at the Charité in Berlin, who had actually suggested a total block of three weeks to significantly reduce the curve of infections. Against, among others, the doctors around the virologist from Bonn Heindrik Streek and the president of the doctors of the health insurance fund Andreas Gassen. The position of the latter: the pandemic is a marathon, not a 100-meter race, the lockdown can help in the short term at very high costs (economic and social stability) but a long-term strategy of coexistence with the virus. For critically ill doctors, for example, it is necessary to forget about the number of infections and tracing and rather focus on other indicators, protecting the groups at risk. Drosten and Streeck have been defending for months two different approaches to the pandemic crisis, a division that is also found in the scientific circles of many other countries.
MARKETS CANCELED
These measures were also announced as necessary to try to recover from the epidemic situation by December, in time for the Christmas month. But in the meantime many Christmas markets have already been canceled, starting with the one in Nuremberg, together with Dresden the most famous in Germany. In Berlin, where for the moment the administration has not yet banned them as long as they take place under strict safety and hygiene measures, one of the best known, that of Gendarmenmarkt in the heart of the city has thrown in the towel, due to the impossibility of ensure the required safety distance.
THE BAG
At the Frankfurt stock exchange, a new black day, with the index mortified by fears of a return of the recession for the second pandemic wave. The only stocks to grow were those of delivering and online commerce companies, the big winners of this crisis.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/chi-appoggia-e-chi-contesta-il-semi-lockdown-deciso-da-merkel-in-germania/ on Thu, 29 Oct 2020 15:00:42 +0000.