German Parliament approves health measures for the whole of Germany

More than 100 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over three consecutive days. This is the new reference on which the German law on protection against infection is now based. The law, which was passed by the Federal Parliament on Wednesday 21 April, effectively changes the rules.

This is because, despite stricter confinement and restriction measures than in France, Germany is not achieving significant results in its fight against covid. With 3.21 million positive cases on 21 April, the country recorded 27,862 additional cases in one day. Covid has claimed 81,382 victims, including 296 on 21 April.

In a speech on Friday announcing the new law, thehe Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said: " the situation is very serious. We must all take it seriously. The third wave is tightening its grip on our country".

Hence the decision to apply unified measures throughout the country. This was a major change that required a vote in parliament, as health matters fall within the remit of the Länder.

At this stage in the fight against the pandemic, it is important that protective measures are in place to react quickly and uniformly across the country. " We have no other choicesaid the Chancellor. To achieve this, the Federation, the Länder and the municipalities must join forces more effectively than we have done to date." .

Half-measures remain ineffective, the country is therefore harmonising its prevention at federal level. From now on, the action point is therefore a number of new cases of coronavirus exceeding the threshold of 100 per 100,000 inhabitants on three consecutive days within a seven-day period.

The federal state takes over from the Länder

As soon as this figure is reached, restrictive measures automatically apply. On the other hand. Below this figure, the Länder retain full discretion in their health decisions.

• Contact limitation during private indoor and outdoor meetings. However, members of the same household can always meet just one outside person, but not several.
• Restrictions on the opening of shops. While some stores, such as food shops, bookshops, pharmacies, opticians and drugstores, may remain open, other shops must keep their doors closed. This is already the case in almost all the Länder.
• Service authorisation involving physical proximity of a medical or therapeutic nature. Hairdressers are only open to people with a negative test result from the same day.
• Restrictions on leisure and sports activities. Restaurants, hotels, cultural and leisure establishments must be closed if the incidence rate exceeds 100.
• Curfew Between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., only people with a valid reason are allowed to leave their homes. This includes going to work, receiving medical treatment or taking your pet out.
• Employers are obliged to offer a weekly screening test to Covid-19 for staff who are unable to work remotely.

Among the options currently being studied for future standardisation of everyday life is the possibility for shops and public places to use a QR code to check that people have tested negative for covid on the same day. This means that antigen tests will be used on a daily basis. Could France adopt this model?