The Hessian state parliament debated on Tuesday about life with the virus next fall.

"The decisive question is not what will happen at the end of March," said Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) in his government statement on the cabinet's most recent easing decisions.

"What matters is what happens in September or October."

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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Bouffier quoted from a FAZ interview with the infectiologist Susanne Herold from the Gießen-Marburg University Hospital.

"Corona will probably hit us again next winter," was the doctor's prognosis.

"If that's the case, then we should be able to prepare," said Bouffier.

But the countries needed a legal basis for this.

The federal government must create it, but the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP obviously cannot agree.

"Attacks on Berlin"

With his "attacks on Berlin" he does not do justice to the responsibility of a prime minister, said the parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group Daniela Sommer.

"The federal government is taking care of it very well." Incidentally, the federal states did not need the federal infection protection law to prepare for the fall.

Mathias Wagner, the parliamentary group leader of the Hessian Greens, also defended the traffic light in Berlin against Bouffier's criticism.

He reminded that in the past legislative period, the grand coalition in Berlin in the fight against the virus passed some laws at short notice.

"We weren't upset about that half a year ago, and we don't have to be upset about it now." In contrast to Bouffier, the representative of his Green coalition partner was "very confident" that the traffic light would pass the necessary adjustment to the Federal Infection Protection Act in good time.

No "absolute truth"

René Rock, leader of the FDP parliamentary group, spoke up as the third defender of the traffic light alliance.

"The government coalition in Berlin is struggling with great transparency to find the right way." There is no absolute truth.

Incidentally, the Prime Ministers jointly called for an adjustment to the Infection Protection Act.

But when it comes to the question of how to proceed, not even the heads of government of the Union agree.

This shows the back and forth in the Union about the institution-related vaccination requirement.

Rock rejected Bouffier's call for financial support for the trade fairs that were particularly badly hit by the virus.

This is the country's own responsibility as a co-owner, Rock stated and turned to the Minister for Economic Affairs: "Where are the concepts?"

The easing would have to be “evidence-based”, demanded the parliamentary group leader of the left-wing parliamentary group Elisabeth Kula.

Even if the omicron wave subsides, it is absurd if incidences and hospitalization rates should suddenly no longer play a role in decisions about measures and easing and the end of the measures should be linked to a date instead of scientific data.

The AfD faction looked back.

Instead of relying on conviction, voluntariness and personal responsibility, the state government "made the people docile with the fear of an overload of the health system, which demonstrably never existed," said Deputy Volker Richter.

Children, young people and pregnant women are still being vaccinated, although this is "highly questionable".

This is not what politics looks like that is based on democratic values ​​even in times of need.