Angela Merkel on the Corona situation: "Not the time for exceptions"

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Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has expressed concern about the development of the corona infection numbers and the situation in the intensive care units.

"It is not the time for exceptions," said Merkel on Tuesday, according to meeting participants in the video session of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag after the decisions of the federal and state governments on a hard lockdown from this Wednesday.

She was quoted as saying: “We're not doing each other good if we look for the exception again now.

Because we then have to remain in lockdown for longer. "

She was worried, said Merkel after this information.

For example, the school regulations in the individual federal states are in some cases very generous again, criticized the Chancellor.

"The curve in Germany looks very bad," said Merkel, according to the participants, referring to the infection process.

"We are heading towards an incidence value of 200 for all of Germany."

You have to go back down to an incidence of 50 new infections per 100,000 people within a week, because you can then understand the infection process.

Otherwise nothing could be relaxed, stressed the Chancellor.

The Chancellor was quoted as saying that she hoped "that shopping behavior on Monday and Tuesday will not throw us backwards.

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Merkel warned that January and February would be very tough Corona months in Germany.

The number of intensive care patients will continue to rise until January, said the Chancellor, according to information from Reuters.

"We have a very high occupancy rate in the intensive care beds," she was quoted as saying.

There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, the number of corona patients is increasing daily.

On the other hand, many beds would be deregistered because there were no carers.

Corona patients would also have to be treated longer and more elaborately than patients with many other diseases.

The highest occupancy is not expected until January.

The reason is that the number of new positive tests is still increasing and serious disease courses only occur two to four weeks after infection.

Merkel said she was relieved about the decision of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which plans to submit its report on the approval of the vaccine by the pharmaceutical companies from the US-based Pfizer and its partner Biontech from Mainz on December 21.

Merkel said after this information that it was good that there was no emergency approval of the vaccine as in other countries.

The government was pleased with the news.

Merkel in exchange with students

Merkel had already exchanged ideas with students and university employees in the morning.

Merkel is hoping for a return to regular operations at German universities in the second half of 2021. She is assuming that “more normality could prevail again in the autumn semester”.

In the online citizens' dialogue, however, she also pointed out that winter would be very "hard".

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Some participants pointed out that the extension of the study period is often not financially feasible.

Many part-time jobs have broken down.

“We still have to pay for the semester ticket,” complained one participant.

According to a survey by the German Student Union, two thirds of the students recently worked.

For 50 percent, the job is the main source of funding during their studies.

Another point of criticism from the students: Because of the measures, practical tests could not be carried out in some federal states.

That is a competitive disadvantage.

In addition to these problems, it was also about dealing with corona deniers and the "lateral thinking" movement.

A student asked the Chancellor how he and his friends should best deal with them.

“I don't have the perfect answer,” confessed Merkel.

But politicians are very concerned about the problem.

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Research on the question is necessary: ​​"How do you actually say goodbye to the world of facts and get into a world that speaks a different language, so to speak, and which we cannot even reach with our fact-based language?" "A real refusal to discuss".

It is very difficult to get someone back.

Merkel called for a consistent fight against so-called conspiracy theories in Germany.

"This is basically an attack on our whole way of life."

Merkel in online dialogue with students

Source: dpa / Tobias Schwarz

Since the Enlightenment, Europe had followed the path of, so to speak, obtaining a worldview on the basis of facts.

“And if a world view is suddenly detached or antifactual, then that is of course very difficult to reconcile with our whole way of life.” The usual arguing does not help.

"That's why it's a special challenge for us."

With regard to dealing with the pandemic, Merkel said: "You can tell that we are noticeably worse prepared than the Asian countries." While China has reported economic growth, "we are expecting a minus".