German health minister calls for freedoms for those who receive jab

Berlin (dpa) – German Health Minister Jens Spahn called for greater freedoms for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 after the third wave of coronavirus infections has passed.

They could enjoy greater freedoms in stages, including being able to go to shops and hairdressers, he told Sunday’s edition of the mass-circulation Bild newspaper.

People who have received both jabs also would not have go into quarantine, according to the Robert Koch institute (RKI) for disease control. Spahn said this was important for retailers and a gradual reopening of business and public life, based on tests.

He noted that the first priority is handling the current third wave of infections, however.

Concerns are growing about the number of people suffering from Covid-19 and needing intensive care in Germany. There are currently 4,051 people in intensive care, a doctors’ association (DIVI) said.

In early January, the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care peaked at more than 5,500, but this levelled off as the second wave of cases passed.

Now, the numbers needing intensive care are rising again, in line with the third wave of cases, prompting experts to call for a strict lockdown to ease the pressure on the health care system.

Germany currently has a seven-day incidence rate of 127 per 100,000 people, the RKI said on Sunday morning, slightly lower than last Friday, which was 134. However, figures are less reliable at Easter, with fewer tests carried out and lower reporting numbers.

Later on, Spahn said those who have had both vaccines could be treated like people who test negative for the virus, saying this would make daily life easier amid the pandemic.

The risk of viral transmission by those who have received both jabs appeared to be low, according to an assessment by the RKI.

Risk could be further reduced by expanded guidelines such as self-isolation if symptoms occur, and continuing with social distancing and mask-wearing, said RKI head Lothar Wieler.

Spahn likewise noted that while testing and being fully vaccinated significantly reduced the risk of infection, they did not provide 100-per-cent security against infecting others.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer called for uniform regulations nationwide.

One aspect of the law would be establishing which steps have to be taken at what infection rate, for lockdowns and easing alike.

A week ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel had criticized some states for failing to implement agreed-upon measures meant to see areas return to a hard lockdown when they reach a certain threshold of infections

If these decisions did not change, Merkel said, she would need to consider how the federal government could override state regulations.

In comments to the Sunday edition of Die Welt newspaper, Seehofer said the public wanted this kind of action and that regulations should be enshrined in law.

On Saturday, a government spokesperson told dpa that lawmakers were weighing whether and how the government should issue uniform guidelines to contain the virus if states’ measures proved insufficient.

Seehofer’s call was echoed by Bavarian premier Markus Soeder.

“Uniform rules are needed rather than a patchwork of impossible rules in different states,” Soeder told Sunday’s Bild.

He suggested, for example, that the agreement should be consistently applied to impose restrictions once new cases pass a seven-day incidence rate of 100 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Soeder also named restrictions on movement, testing in schools and requirements that people wear FFP2 masks as measures that could be consistently applied.

He also raised the question whether shorter, stricter lockdowns might be better than what he called unending, “half-hearted” approaches that failed to sustainably reduce the spread of infections.

Earlier, a poll showed that two-thirds of Germans were in favour of a ban on travel abroad amid the pandemic.

The poll, carried out by YouGov for dpa, found 64 per cent of people would support a ban, while 26 per cent would oppose such a step.

The government weighed a temporary halt to vacations to popular destinations abroad after many travelled to Mallorca for the Easter holidays and Merkel called for the legal options to be considered.

While such a ban has not been imposed, the government continues to strongly advise against tourist travel within Germany and abroad.