On August 3, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) presented their concept of how the federal government intends to deal with the corona pandemic this autumn and winter. This Wednesday, the draft of a new infection protection law is to be adopted by the Federal Cabinet; the two ministers will then explain their ideas at the federal press conference.

After the first concept met with massive criticism three weeks ago, especially in the FDP parliamentary group, but also in the federal states, Lauterbach and Buschmann reworked it again. So far, only details of these corrections have leaked out, but it is already clear: the law will cause trouble at traffic lights – and bring the government controversial deliberations in the Bundestag.

“The Stroke law applies to the parliamentary procedure,” said FDP parliamentary group leader Johannes Vogel WELT. “After the cabinet has passed the final version of the Infection Protection Act, we will take a close look at it, discuss it internally and talk to the other coalition factions.” Stroke’s law states that no bill leaves the Bundestag the way it entered. Vogel already sees a “need for examination” in the “legitimate, daily discussion about masks in airplanes”.

Masks are currently mandatory for passengers and staff on planes and long-distance trains nationwide. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), together with their delegations and the journalists accompanying them, did not wear these masks on a flight to Canada – with the argument that other rules apply to government machines. Before the flight, you can free yourself from the mask requirement with a negative PCR test.

During the trip to Canada by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, footage from on board the government aircraft caused criticism. Habeck and numerous journalists can be seen without masks on German flights despite the mask requirement.

Source: WORLD

Vogel doesn’t see that. “Shouldn’t there be test exceptions at least on commercial flights, for example? After all, why should different rules apply on a government flight? What about European uniformity?” said the FDP politician. “Most flights start in one EU country and land in another. These are questions that we will also discuss with experts, for example.”

FDP parliamentary group leader Alexander Graf Lambsdorff has already pleaded on Twitter for the end of the mask requirement on airplanes: “After these pictures, it CAN’T

Lauterbach and Buschmann, on the other hand, are even planning to tighten the mask requirement, according to information from the “Bild” newspaper. While passengers currently have to wear an FFP2 or medical mask, the revised paragraph 28b of the cabinet paper should say: “Flights and passengers in air transport and long-distance public transport are obliged to wear a respiratory mask (FFP2 or comparable).” A medical mask will no longer be enough in the future.

The Green Group also sees a need for discussion. “There is still room for improvement in certain areas, such as acute aid for the support of caring relatives,” said parliamentary group manager Irene Mihalic WELT.

“The special regulations, which include, among other things, that caregivers can stay away from work for up to 20 days, should also be extended until the end of April 2023. This will enable us to better support caregivers who are taking on extremely important responsibilities and are facing additional challenges due to the pandemic.”

Although the government draft represents good preparation, after the “hearing of experts in the Bundestag, potential areas for improvement will still be identified”.

Corona infections are increasing again in Germany. “Despite the high number of infections, the omicron variant is not aggressive,” notes Andrew Ullmann. The FDP health expert explains in the WELT talk how useful a corona booster vaccination is.

Source: WELT / Carsten Hädler

According to the editorial network Germany, Lauterbach and Buschmann have already responded to a request from many federal states. If, in the future, countries make masks compulsory indoors, they do not necessarily have to make an exception for people who are fully vaccinated and whose last vaccination was less than three months ago.

That’s what the government had planned so far. However, this regulation was interpreted as an obligation to be vaccinated every three months in the future – which contradicts the current recommendations of the Standing Vaccination Commission.

But that shouldn’t be the end of it. Many FDP MPs had also called for changes to the government plans, for example for a possible mask requirement outdoors or in schools, the abolition of a nationwide hotspot regulation and generally more data on the danger of the omicron variant of the corona virus as a basis for decision-making. In addition, it must be ensured that regulations are also controllable.

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