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Berlin / Munich (dpa / lby) - Out of great concern about the more aggressive mutation of the corona virus, the lockdown will be extended until at least mid-February in Bavaria, as in the rest of Germany.
The cabinet wants to implement the decision of the Prime Minister's Conference today (11 a.m.) in a video conference - although the infection numbers in the Free State are currently down again.
The Parliament's Council of Elders will decide on Wednesday whether there should be a special session of the state parliament this week.
So far, the lockdown was limited nationwide until the end of January.
In practice, the extension not only means that large parts of the trade, the hotel and catering industry will remain closed, the schools in the Free State will not continue to offer normal face-to-face teaching and the daycare centers will only offer emergency care for the time being.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) explained the resolutions with the great fear that the Corona mutation could also prevail in this country.
A mutating virus that is spreading faster is not only highly dangerous, but is also likely to spread more widely, he said.
The lockdown, however, helps to slow down the spread in general.
It is the task of politics to prevent the virus mutation "B.1.1.7" from spreading more widely.
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Söder emphasized that politicians are aware that the current regulation demands a lot from students and parents.
"School and day-care center is absolutely the most sensitive point, because it is there that we feel the most collateral challenges for families and for children when it comes to childcare," he said.
However, there are many indications from experts that the mutation is spreading more widely, especially among children.
In order not to create additional stress in the school year, which is particularly stressed due to the pandemic, more solutions are needed, said Söder.
Here it must be considered, for example, whether exams should be reduced or how the transfers could take place.
It is important to send a signal to students and their parents that the high quality of education is being maintained without additional pressure to perform.
For this reason, the carnival holidays planned for mid-February have already been canceled in Bavaria.
Apart from the extension of the lockdown, there are no further tightenings in sight for Bavaria.
The obligation to wear more protective masks in retail or public transport, as agreed by the federal and state governments, has already been topped in the Free State by the FFP-2 mask requirement that has been in force since Monday.
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This was also emphasized by Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) when asked by the German Press Agency.
For an effective fight against the pandemic, reliability and predictability of the vaccine are also of central importance.
78 percent of the senior citizens and nursing homes in Bavaria have already been visited for a first vaccination and 62 percent of the residents have already been vaccinated.
According to Holetschek, the State Office for Health and Food Safety is also working with the university clinics on a concept so that the pathogen's genetic material can be sequenced.
In this way one hopes to get clues to the properties.
Changes are likely to be brought about by the demand from the federal and state governments to all employers to enable working from home wherever the activities allow.
This regulation should apply until March 15th.
"Wherever possible, home office has to be found," said Söder.
Admittedly, this should not destroy operational practice.
Here it is a good signal that tax incentives will also improve the attractiveness of home offices.