It is a development with announcement, even if it surprises many in its dimension: On Friday the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a high level of new corona infections for the second time in a row. The health authorities from all over Germany recorded 37,120 new infections within 24 hours - more than in any of the three waves before. A new negative record had already been reached on Thursday with 33,949 new infections. In Bavaria (9491 new infections within 24 hours), Saxony (4149) and Thuringia (1944) in particular, the number of infections has been increasing rapidly since last week, while the numbers in the north-east and west of the country have only increased slightly recently. The seven-day incidence across Germany on Friday was 169.9; Thuringia (386.9), Saxony (385.7) and Bavaria (256.8) are significantly higher.

Stefan Locke

Correspondent for Saxony and Thuringia based in Dresden.

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Timo Frasch

Political correspondent in Munich.

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However, since vaccines against Covid-19 have been available, incidence is no longer the sole benchmark for political action. Rather, the focus has shifted to the hospitalization rate, which expresses how full both normal and intensive care units are filled with Covid 19 patients. The aim is to avoid overloading the health system, which would not only affect those with Corona, but all potential patients. The situation in Germany's hospitals has been worsening for days. About 90 percent of corona patients are unvaccinated, said Michael Albrecht, head of the Dresden University Hospital and Saxony's hospital bed coordinator. This mainly affects middle age groups, who also have to stay in hospital significantly longer than older age groups a year ago.

In Saxony, the warning levels for both categories were clearly exceeded for the fifth day in a row on Thursday.

Should the numbers continue to rise so rapidly, Albrecht expects that the overload levels will also be torn at the end of next week.

Then the situation could become as critical again as it was in December last year, when there was not a single free intensive care bed in the Free State and 60 patients had to be flown to other federal states.

No repeal of the mask requirement in schools

Saxony's government reacted to this on Friday in a special session of the cabinet, at which restrictions on public life were again decided.

From Monday, the so-called 2-G rule will apply across the board in the Free State, according to which only vaccinated and convalescent people will have access to restaurants and pubs, theaters, cinemas, concerts and football games.

Only the retail trade and the churches are excluded from this.

Even the lifting of the mask requirement in schools, which was announced before the autumn holidays, will not take place for the time being.

At the same time, all staff in nursing homes should be tested three times a week, not just the nurses.

It is estimated that up to a third of employees in hospitals, but especially in care facilities, are still not vaccinated.