Berlin – Although there is no end date in sight for the coronavirus requirements, the German Ethics Council welcomes the debate about an exit from the massive restrictions.
«It is too early to make openings now. But it is never too early to think about criteria for openings, »said the advisory board chair, theologian Peter Dabrock.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn rejected a complete return to normality after Easter. “It will not immediately be the same as before,” said the CDU politician in Stuttgart. “If there is, then it is a gradual return to everyday life,” said Spahn. “The situation is still serious.” The current contact restrictions apply until April 19.
Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Gunther (CDU) hopes that the corona requirements will gradually be relaxed after Easter. “The closing of restaurants and cafes, for example, was also necessary because the distance was not kept – initially there was no awareness of the necessary rules of conduct. It is different now. Wherever it is spatially possible to keep the distance, regulations can be relaxed again, »he said to the weekly newspaper« Die Zeit ».
According to the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer (CDU), the federal and state governments want to speak on April 15 about how to proceed.
Gunther’s Bavarian counterpart Markus Soder (CSU) is also assuming a gradual easing. Soder explicitly referred to Austria, which was three weeks ahead in development: many measures would be extended there, exit restrictions would remain, and schools would also remain closed.
The CSU chief called an obligation to wear protective masks “highly likely”: “Of course there will be a form of mask obligation in the end.” Wherever developments are allowed, conditions, distances, disinfection and more masks are needed. This applies not only to shops, but also to local public transport.
The AfD called for a roadmap for an exit from the current tough measures. “It goes without saying that all of these measures are subject to the proviso that the increase in the number of infections continues to slow down,” said the chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland. “But the federal government can no longer leave citizens alone with the uncertainty about the future.”
FDP leader Christian Lindner asked the federal government to follow the recommendation of the German Ethics Council and to develop a concept to relax contact restrictions. «The instructions from the government not to speak about it publicly have not convinced us for some time. Protective masks make sense, muzzles do not, »said Lindner.
The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Stephan Mayer (CSU), told the “Passauer Neue Presse” that Germany was definitely dealing with possible exit strategies. “Ban on thinking would be the wrong signal here and now.”
