Mask requirement and clinic data: what the federal and state governments do for the Corona

The federal states are putting pressure on the federal government to revise the Infection Protection Act before the summer break on July 9th.

They want the new version to enable stricter corona protection measures, above all the obligation to wear masks indoors, access restrictions according to the 3G and 2G rules, mandatory tests, upper limits for persons and contact restrictions.

This emerges from a draft resolution for the conference of health ministers of the federal and state governments on Wednesday and Thursday in Magdeburg, which is available to FAZ.NET.

Kim Bjorn Becker

Editor in Politics.

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Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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The application submitted by Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia calls on the federal government to “immediately take all necessary steps and measures to prepare for the upcoming challenges in autumn/winter in connection with the corona pandemic and other seasonal diseases and to involve the countries appropriately in this”.

It is about creating “quick legal, financial and organizational security for action and planning”.

The current Infection Protection Act ends at the beginning of autumn on September 23rd.

In the federal states, there are fears that the necessary change or extension will only be tackled in the two weeks of parliamentary sessions immediately beforehand - and that there will therefore not be sufficient preparation time.

For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Health under Karl Lauterbach (SPD) must present a draft amendment to the Infection Protection Act before the parliamentary holidays, which last from July 9th to September 4th, “and grant the federal states effective, legally secure powers”.

This is the only way to react effectively to the change in the course of infection during the colder season and to take the necessary infection control measures.

The demands of the federal states include the establishment of a nationwide and networked monitoring system (surveillance) on the course of infection and the establishment of a fully digitized reporting system to be initiated by the federal government.

Before the beginning of the new year, all hospitals would have to be connected to the German electronic reporting and information system for infection protection (Demis), also in order to better collect hospitalization incidences.

The paper calls on all the bodies involved to clarify whether a second booster vaccination - i.e. the fourth vaccination overall - is generally recommended.

The federal government must adapt the vaccination campaign in exchange with the federal states, ensure sufficient procurement, storage and distribution of influenza and corona vaccines - including variant active substances - and continue to co-finance the "vaccination structures" at least until the end of the year.

Last but not least, the vaccination centers are meant.

The new vaccination campaign must take into account that it may overlap with an influenza epidemic.

In addition, the federal states expect the federal government to procure and store sufficient Covid 19 drugs, both antiviral drugs and monoclonal antibodies.

The application must be carried out early on an outpatient basis, general practitioners should play an important role in order to reduce the risk of inpatient treatment.

Furthermore, the federal government is asked to set up a test system for the autumn that can grow and is less prone to abuse than before.

The federal states are demanding that the Corona Test Ordinance, which expires at the end of this month, be extended, especially for the free citizen tests: “There is still a need for free and unbureaucratic test options, in particular to protect the environment around facilities for vulnerable people and groups ensure."

The state governments are expecting more Covid 19 outbreaks again, including among medical and nursing staff.

The federal government must therefore ensure that outpatient and inpatient care is "prepared for the expected next wave".

Countries require incentives to attract and retain staff.

If the care situation worsens, the clinics should again be given the prospect of a “federal rescue package” for financial security.

Meanwhile, the health politicians of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag have called on the government to develop a “stepped pandemic management concept” that will still make an “effective and appropriate catalog of measures” possible in the fall.

"The current time window, in which there are still comparatively low hospitalization rates despite the number of cases increasing again, must therefore be used to prepare our country as best as possible for the coming months," says the paper, which the health politicians from the CDU and CSU wrote at the end of a two-day conference closed conference on Tuesday evening.

A vaccination register should help to assess the situation

"We need more precise data on the immune status in Germany in order to close a possible immunity gap through targeted vaccination campaigns in preparation for autumn," the Union politicians demand.

Other countries could use the results of representative antibody studies or existing vaccination registries.

Such a register is also needed in Germany.

"We want to protect in particular the people who work, live and are cared for in healthcare facilities and in outpatient and inpatient care."

In addition, the test concept is to be revised.

The “billion-dollar, unprovoked tests are to be abolished”, instead the quality of the tests must be increased.

In addition, new concepts are to be developed to enable the protection of those people who would be most affected in the event of infection with the corona virus.

Finally, "therapy and treatment options" are to be created for the care of long-Covid patients and people with severe vaccination side effects.