The FDP in the Bundestag calls for a general end to the isolation requirements for people infected with corona. “We don’t need a state-fixed isolation obligation,” said the FDP health politician Andrew Ullmann on Saturday on Deutschlandfunk. Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein had recently lifted the obligation to isolate, and Hesse is expected to follow on Wednesday. The German Association of Towns and Municipalities warned of a patchwork of corona measures. According to the Robert Koch Institute, there were 25,328 new corona infections within one day. 203 people died within 24 hours with Corona.
FDP: Not fixed by the state
Ullmann said: “Bavaria, Baden Württemberg and Schleswig Holstein are doing it right.” That does not mean that there is a ban on isolation or sick leave. Sick people should take sick leave and stay at home. If an employee of a hospital that works with immunocompromised people has a positive test, he has no business there. “But these are individual decisions that can be made,” said the FDP politician. They would not have to be “fixed by the state”.
When asked whether he wanted to demand an end to the obligation to isolate in Germany from Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), Ullmann said: “We want to initiate the discussion.” The Infection Protection Act provides that the relevant regulations apply until April. But in view of positive changes, the traffic light has to think about the general basic measures.
Currently there is a patchwork quilt
The general manager of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, told the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday): “Citizens must be clearly informed which regulations apply in which areas.” Landsberg warned of a loss of acceptance in the event of a patchwork quilt and called for the federal and state governments to agree on uniform measures.
The President of the German District Association, Reinhard Sager, welcomed the decision of the countries with the lifted isolation obligation in the newspaper. Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) called his country a “pioneer of reason” in the newspaper. The move had been carefully considered. Criticism of the easing came from the German Foundation for Patient Protection, among others.
incidence decreases
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Saturday morning at 192. The day before, the value of new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 194.3 (previous week: 232.1; previous month: 670.5). However, experts have been assuming for some time that there has been a high number of cases not recorded by the RKI.
Ullmann said: “I would actually argue that the number of unreported cases was possibly highest at the beginning of the pandemic, where we just couldn’t test the way we can test today.” Only positive PCR tests are included in the statistics.
Decreasing trend in infections
According to the latest RKI weekly report, a decreasing trend in infections has recently continued. The number of serious illnesses fell slightly. Overall, the RKI expects a high number of serious respiratory diseases in the coming weeks.
According to the RKI, the spread of the relatively new omicron subline BQ.1.1 in Germany has increased noticeably. The proportion of this pathogen in a sample quadrupled to over eight percent the week before last. It is a descendant of the Omicron variant BA.5, which has been dominant in Germany for months. These pathogens may evade the immune response of people who have been vaccinated and/or recovered better than their predecessors. An increased burden of disease has not yet been observed in BQ.1.1.
RKI area on Corona RKI on specifications for contact persons and infected people Interview Ullmann on the obligation to isolate RKI dashboard
