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Stuttgart (dpa) - Baden-Württemberg will extend the corona lockdown by two weeks and tighten it in some places, but a relaxation is planned for children.

Primary schools and daycare centers are expected to reopen gradually from February 1 - “if the infection situation allows,” said Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann on Tuesday evening after the federal-state consultations on the corona crisis.

The final decision will be made in the coming week.

Until then, Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs Susanne Eisenmann (CDU) should work out a concept on how to open “carefully” and keep the risk of infection as low as possible.

The federal and state governments agreed on Tuesday after almost eight hours of discussions to extend the corona lockdown to February 14.

In addition, there should be a stricter mask requirement and more pressure on employers to send employees to the home office.

Kretschmann explained that the number of infections had to be reduced further in order to be prepared if the newly emerged, more aggressive virus variants from Great Britain and South Africa also spread in Germany.

"Waiting would be irresponsible," said the Green politician.

Dealing with schools had long been a source of controversy during the discussions between the Prime Minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

Merkel in particular had insisted that daycare centers and schools be closed until mid-February.

The decision from Tuesday evening now states that the federal and state governments also extended the lockdown at schools and daycare centers until mid-February.

A “restrictive implementation” is even required.

However, the Länder are responsible for education policy, and the decision leaves them room to maneuver this time too.

According to this, face-to-face teaching is possible if the presence requirement is suspended.

This has been the case in Baden-Württemberg since the summer.

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With a relaxation, Baden-Württemberg, which follows a strict Corona course in many areas, would take a special path.

Kretschmann justified his plan as follows: “But the youngest suffer most when they cannot come into contact with other children.

For them, face-to-face teaching is the most important thing. "

It is conceivable that the first and second grades in elementary schools will come into play in a first step.

For most of the secondary school students, only distance learning is to continue until February 14th.

The opening of daycare centers and primary schools should be entirely in the spirit of the Minister of Education and CDU top candidate Eisenmann.

She had strongly insisted that both be reopened after the already extended Christmas break - "regardless of the incidence figures".

But because of the still high infection level, Kretschmann decided against reopening daycare centers and primary schools in January.