In Germany, too, a possible end of the corona quarantine obligations is currently being discussed. The chairman of the board of the German “National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians”, Andreas Gassen, called for the lifting of all isolation and quarantine obligations in the midst of the corona summer wave – and he immediately encountered strong opposition: “Infected people must stay at home. Otherwise, not only will the number of cases increase even more, but the workplace itself will become a safety risk,” German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) also criticized the proposal for coming at an inopportune time. Others agreed with Gassen – at least in his assessment of the current corona situation. Because the seven-day incidence was more than 700 recently – but experts assume that the actual corona cases have been significantly underreported for quite some time. In the intensive care units of the clinics, the absolute number of patients is currently twice as high as last year around the same time.
“Staff shortages in clinics and elsewhere”
However, Gassen does not see the real problem in the many infections, but in the fact that those who have tested positive, even without symptoms, have to stay at home for a few days, as the head of the statutory health insurance companies told the Neue Osnabrücker. Zeitung”. “This creates staff shortages in the clinics and elsewhere.” You have to get back to normalcy. “Everyone who is sick stays at home. Everyone who feels healthy goes to work. This is how we deal with other infectious diseases like the flu.”
The CEO of the German Hospital Association, Gerald Gaß, also pointed to problems related to the isolation obligation. “The burden is constantly increasing, the significant extra effort due to the isolation obligation is increasing,” he told the Funke media group newspapers – without however demanding a departure from the current requirements. Due to the absence of staff, operations that could be planned in many hospitals would have to be postponed and sometimes entire areas had to be signed off.
Isolation shortened to five days
The German health ministry said further shortening of the deadlines for the possibilities of free testing currently “makes no sense”. The current recommendations were already a response to the deteriorating staffing situation in the spring. Currently, for the general population, mandatory isolation for corona-infected people can end after five days – with a “highly recommended” negative test at the end.
Given the “very dynamic contamination situation”, one should carefully consider whether it makes sense to relax the isolation rules, the Bavarian Health Minister Holetschek warned: “We expect a further increase in the number of infections in the autumn. No one knows which virus variant will prevail. gets.”
“Not justifiable medically”
The board of directors of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, accused Gassen of “opportunism”. “Isolation protects. Because this prevents others from getting infected.” He referred to Long and Post Covid, or complaints after at least four and at least twelve weeks after infection. The president of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, told the “Rheinische Post”: “Lifting the quarantine rules for labor market reasons is not medically justifiable. Our job is to save people from disease, suffering and death. ”
FDP health expert Andrew Ullmann, on the other hand, agreed with Gassen. “This is a solution-oriented approach to enable smarter and more individual handling of corona infections,” he said on Saturday. “The isolation period for patients with Covid-19 should no longer be set by the state. In this way we can return to a certain normality and tranquility.” According to Ullmann, the duration of isolation in the future should be a medical and individual decision.
FDP wants more personal responsibility
FDP leader Christian Lindner also relies on personal responsibility — but with an eye to future measures to contain the pandemic. “In the future there should be no general, general restrictions on freedom for everyone,” Lindner told the Funke newspapers. “We need targeted measures that guarantee as much social life as possible and allow people to take as much responsibility as possible.”
Talks are currently underway between the Ministry of Health and Justice about the corona measures that should be possible in the future in the fight against the pandemic. The legal basis for the now severely restricted rules expires in September.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
