Habeck on Greens in Saarland: "This is a really modest situation"

Green co-boss Robert Habeck has admitted mistakes in dealing with the hopelessly divided regional association in Saarland. "This is a really modest situation," said Habeck on Sunday in the ZDF summer interview. The federal electoral committee confirmed on Thursday that the state list there would not be approved. This means that the Greens are likely to be short of 30,000 to 70,000 votes in the federal election at the end of September, which can be decisive if the outcome is tight. These votes would now have to be won elsewhere in the republic, said Habeck. "That is also the plan."

Obviously, not enough had been done in advance. However, error analyzes would not help. “This is all milk spilled now. Now we have to look ahead. ”After an interim high in the spring, his party is back at around 20 percent in the polls. “Everything is possible.” The initial situation is still very good. Because the Union also has its own problems, both parties are not that far apart in the race for the Chancellery.

The subject of mandatory vaccination was also discussed. Habeck sees the extension of rights for vaccinated people as an inevitable development. It is "completely clear" that those who have been vaccinated have more rights, according to the Greens co-chief. “It automatically goes in this direction and is also the right thing to do.” He appealed to the citizens to take responsibility, but rejected compulsory vaccination. "There will be a difference in access of rights and in the freedom of life between vaccinated and unvaccinated," said Habeck. The demand for more rights for vaccinated people does not mean "excluding unvaccinated people". Everyone also has "the right not to be vaccinated".

Habeck emphasized at the same time: "But you do not have the right that all vaccinated people and the rest of society and the children then take it into account because you have decided yourself to endanger your own life and society." There are "better options." "As a compulsory vaccination that" has not yet been exhausted, "emphasized the Greens boss.

Instead of "bringing the people to the vaccine" one has to bring "the vaccine to the people".

In Habeck's opinion, vaccination offers in front of discounters, food banks or schools would be a good way of achieving better vaccination rates.

"Whole series of new vaccination tasks in front of the chest"

On the other hand, he considers the abolition of free tests to be "wrong".

This is not a suitable measure to motivate people to vaccinate.

In addition, it will then be less known "where the virus is" because fewer people can be tested.

The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU), meanwhile, rejects discrimination against unvaccinated people if they can show a negative corona test.

“The state must not exclude those who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested from participating in social life,” said the Union candidate for chancellor before the next federal and state consultations on Tuesday, the Bild am Sonntag.

The so-called 3-G rule is "sensible, moderate and implementable".

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the heads of government of the federal states want to discuss how to proceed on Tuesday.

The Federal Ministry of Health has made suggestions.

The ministry also proposed an end to the free rapid tests by mid-October.

For more than a month, the number of new infections every day has been increasing again.

The City Council calls for a vaccination strategy for autumn and winter in order to be better prepared for a fourth corona wave.

Managing Director Helmut Dedy told the German Press Agency: "We have a whole series of new vaccination tasks in front of our chests: booster vaccinations for the elderly and those in need of care, more vaccinations for children from 12 years and a lot more direct vaccination offers." The cities need clarity about September beyond when most of the major vaccination centers close.

The Association of Towns and Municipalities demanded a uniform approach from the federal and state governments. "We must not begin to weave new patchwork carpets," said chief executive Gerd Landsberg of the Funke media group. The existing rules on distance, masks and hygiene should continue to apply everywhere - regardless of vaccinations. The deputy chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Michael Theurer, called for a "binding plan to prevent the next lockdown".

Corresponding demands are also coming from the economy. "A new lockdown, catastrophic for German medium-sized businesses, must now be ruled out in a binding manner," said a letter from the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises to Laschet. The letter has been submitted to the German Press Agency. The General Secretary of the CDU Economic Council, Wolfgang Steiger, said in an interview with the editorial network Germany (RND): "Another lockdown would be the ultimate break of neck for many small and medium-sized companies in the catering, hotel or retail sectors."

There is a lot of approval for demands that the seven-day incidence no longer be the sole benchmark for corona measures.

The occupancy of hospital beds and intensive care units must also be decisive, said Laschet.

CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt told the picture on Sunday: "Incidence as the sole measure of all things has had its day." Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) promoted a "Corona traffic light".

Just like the number of new corona infections, the number of patients in intensive care is now increasing.

According to emergency medicine (DIVI) from Saturday, 417 were treated in intensive care.

A week ago it was 359.