Germany: Hospitalizations will now determine measures against the pandemic

In Germany, following an agreement between Merkel and the states, the “hospitality index” introduces a new criterion for measures to reduce the pandemic.

“The situation is dramatic and the question now is to take immediate and consistent action,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin on Thursday night after a four-hour teleconference with the 16 German prime ministers. states. Presenting the main points of the ten-page text of the decisions, the chancellor announced that from now on the criterion for imposing measures will no longer be the “positivity index”, ie the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants within a week. The decisive factor in the future will be the “hospitality index”, which shows how many patients with coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants have been admitted to hospitals in the last seven days.

The Chancellor and the Prime Ministers agreed on the following procedure to be followed – not at national level – but at state level:

-if the “hospitalization index” exceeds 3, the regulation “access only with a certificate of vaccination or recovery” is imposed on leisure and sports facilities, all types of events, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers and so on.
-if the “hospitalization index” exceeds 6, vaccinated and recovering patients must have a negative test to access the above areas, while for those who are not vaccinated a lock down will be imposed
-If the “hospitalization rate” exceeds 9, then even stricter restrictions are imposed, for example a partial lock down for everyone.

According to data from the Robert Koch State Epidemiological Institute, the “hospitalization index” is at 5.30 nationally. The lowest limit was recorded with 1.62 in Hamburg and the highest with 18.54 in Thuringia.

Solts’ assurances “broke the ice”

With regard to workplaces and local and long-distance transport (buses, trains, airplanes, boats) – the regulation “access either with a certificate of vaccination or recovery, or a negative test” will apply. The state prime ministers unanimously agreed to ask the federal government to enforce mandatory vaccinations for employees in hospitals, nursing homes, and nursing homes who come into contact with “particularly vulnerable people.” They also decided to give a new bonus to the employees of these institutions. The chancellor and prime ministers have agreed to step up their vaccination campaign. The goal by the end of the year is to vaccinate 27 million people with the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine. So far, 4.8 million booster doses have been given.

In the same press conference with the chancellor, the Christian Democrat Prime Minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Vyst, hinted that at the meeting of the Federal Council (upper house of the state) on Friday morning the states, in which the states They are not going to block the amendment to the pandemic law, which was approved by the national parliament on Thursday. Mr Vust had previously said he would vote against the new law because it provides less options for tackling the pandemic than the current “national epidemiological situation”. Doubts seem to have been dispelled after Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Soltz assured that the next meeting with the prime ministers in December, who may be the same chancellor, will consider how effective the new legislation is. Mr. Soltz promised during the teleconference that, if the need arises, other measures will be taken.

Panagiotis Kouparanis, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle