display
Magdeburg / Halle (dpa / sa) - Craftsmen and the construction industry in Saxony-Anhalt have appealed to the state government to prevent the lockdown from expanding to other industries.
The two chambers of crafts in Magdeburg and Halle announced on Monday that flexible approaches are needed instead of a hard lockdown.
The construction sites must remain open, added the head of the state building trade association, Giso Töpfer.
"We can't just drop the hammer and go in winter."
The background is the upcoming deliberations of the heads of government of the federal and state governments on how the corona infection situation can be effectively contained to a controllable level after months of restrictions.
Currently, public life is largely shut down and many areas are closed by the end of January.
Other industries continue to work with hygiene concepts.
The construction industry works for important areas such as hospitals, road infrastructure, daycare centers and schools, argued association boss Töpfer.
It is counterproductive to only build again when all other areas are restarted.
In addition, construction companies would have to be available for emergencies such as burst pipes, storm damage and the like.
display
The trade also warned against restricting construction operations.
So far, the situation there has not been so dramatic for craft businesses either, said the President of the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts, Hagen Mauer.
A work ban for the industry would have a major impact on events and promised deadlines for construction projects would no longer apply.
The existing lockdown is bringing closed handicraft businesses increasingly into distress.
According to Mauer, her financial reserves have largely been used up.
If the closings were extended, this would cost some companies their existence.
According to the chambers, there are around 27,000 craft businesses in Saxony-Anhalt.