"Does infection mean quarantine?" The question that the Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) formulates is currently preoccupying the entire state government.

She is thinking about how the public infrastructure can be maintained if the pandemic turns out to be as dangerous as feared.

If the numbers went up, you might not be able to isolate all infected people, said Bouffier.

"If we send everyone into quarantine, there will be no one left."

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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With regard to professions such as train drivers and bus drivers, but also medical staff, the Union politician stated that an infection does not always mean inability to work. Hazards to the environment should of course be ruled out. A patient with acute symptoms should not be able to fear being infected by a doctor. But there are ways to use infected but able-bodied personnel in such a way that nobody can put them in danger.

Health Minister Kai Klose (The Greens) announced that he would discuss the issue with his colleagues from the federal and state levels in a switching conference.

Bouffier explained that not every country could settle this question for itself.

Instead, he expects the federal government to propose solutions that can be used as a guide.

Independently of this, the Hessian ministers had the task of reviewing the emergency plans of their houses this week.

They meet on Monday to discuss how to proceed.

Hessian ordinances differ only insignificantly from Berlin

Shortly before the press conference, the cabinet decided to implement the agreements of the federal-state conference on Tuesday in state ordinances. The lawyers needed a minimum of time to ensure that each sentence was legally secure, stressed Bouffier. He was responding to the question of why the resolutions agreed in Berlin will only come into force on December 28th. "I don't know of any federal state in which all of this will apply tomorrow."

The Hessian ordinances will only differ slightly from the Berlin requirements.

Wiesbaden has precisely defined that the upper limit for all indoor and outdoor events is 250 participants.

Clubs and discos have to close.

The ordinances are to apply until mid-January.

However, the Prime Ministers will meet again with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on January 7th.

Then new resolutions could be made, said Bouffier.

He also did not want to rule out that he would report to the state press conference about new measures as early as next week.

"We are in a dynamic position in which we may have to quickly take readjustments."

Do not wait for vaccine adapted to Omikron

Klose announced that 325 people are currently infected with the corona virus in the Hessian old people's and nursing homes.

A year ago the number was 3800.

And in contrast to the current situation, the illnesses at that time usually had a severe course.

It is now paying off that Hessen started boosting early on in the homes.

Klose warned those who had only been vaccinated twice before waiting for a vaccine that was adapted to the Omikron variant.

This can be expected at the end of April at the earliest.

The third vaccination is already protecting against Omikron today.

While Bouffier reiterated his fundamental criticism of the corona policy of the new majority in the Bundestag when asked, the Hessian SPD parliamentary group leader Günter Rudolph praised the guidelines from Berlin.