In view of the new infection of 2,000 Scottish football fans, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) expressed sharp criticism of the Uefa on Thursday, which despite everything wants to hold on to the controversial admission to the European Championship.
"I consider this position of UEFA to be absolutely irresponsible," said Seehofer before the federal press conference in Berlin.
He could not explain "why UEFA is not following a line of reason," he said.
His suspicion is "that it is about commerce".
Commerce should not outshine the health protection for the population.
Heike Schmoll
Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.
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According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), at least every second corona infection is due to the delta variant.
This emerges from a report by the RKI on Wednesday evening, which put Delta’s share in the week from June 14 to 20 at around 37 percent;
in the last week of June it is likely to have been higher.
The seven-day incidence in Germany is still comparatively low at 5.5 per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.
However, experts believe that a trend reversal is likely if the delta variant continues to spread.
This is what the Frankfurt virologist Sandra Ciesek said on the NDR.
According to a simulation study by the University of Bonn, rapid tests contained the coronavirus in the second and third wave of pandemics even more effectively than vaccinations. Although the vaccination rate increased from five to 40 percent during the third corona wave in the spring, according to the researchers' calculations it was only responsible for 16 percent of the decrease in the number of infections in the period under study.
Federal Interior Minister Seehofer continues to rule out stationary border controls.
He does not want to be pressured by the Prime Minister to avoid long queues.
In the past year, parking spaces with diversions have proven their worth, he said.
In addition, state governments that demanded such controls would have insisted on more exceptions during the border controls last year.
"We're not playing this game a second time," said Seehofer.
Stricter monitoring of returning travelers
However, he appealed to the federal states and municipalities and their health authorities to stricter the quarantine obligations after returning from risk areas (incidence from 50), virus variant areas (dangerous mutants whose influence on vaccinations is still unknown) and high incidence areas (incidence higher than 200) monitor. Anyone entering the country by car is also obliged to fill out an electronic registration form and to show it at border controls. "Anyone who enters must expect to be checked," said Seehofer. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) agreed and pointed out that, due to the lower number of infections, the health authorities now have more capacity to check compliance with the quarantine of travelers returning more closely.
No neighboring country of Germany is currently classified as a risk area.
The random checks of motorists near the border are mainly about returnees who come from Turkey and Great Britain and who sometimes take long detours to enter from a neighboring country.
"We are interested in travel from Turkey," which is a corona risk area.
Comprehensive controls and compulsory tests will only continue to apply to air travel.
The double vaccination protects - also against Delta
Portugal and the United Kingdom could soon no longer be classified as virus variant areas in the course of the further spread of the delta variant. Just like Russia and previously Great Britain, Portugal had been classified as a virus variant area because of the spread of the delta variant. This means that there are strict restrictions on returnees. The returnees must be in quarantine for 14 days, even if they have been vaccinated or have recovered. You can't test yourself either.
In the meantime it has been clarified that a double vaccination with the common vaccines in Germany also helps against the Delta variant. "With the knowledge that it has now been confirmed in the last few days that the double vaccination protects with this variant, we have the opportunity to come to a different classification," said Spahn. Here, too, the double vaccination makes "a difference". The decisive factor for the decision to be expected in the coming days will be that the relative proportion of the variant in Germany increases and that it becomes dominant, said Spahn, who already expects 70 to 80 percent new infections in July that are due to the delta variant.
He pointed out that 75 million Germans have now been vaccinated, two out of three adults have been vaccinated at least once, and 37.3 percent have already received the second vaccination. The federal and state governments are now working to ensure that young people aged between 12 and 18 can also be vaccinated and that the Standing Vaccination Commission extends its recommendation. Chancellery chief Helge Braun announced in several newspaper interviews that vaccination offers would be easily accessible at all universities by the beginning of the semester at the latest.