In Bavaria, people infected with corona no longer have to stay at home from Wednesday. Reactions to the measure have been mixed.
Munich (dpa/lby) - Corona infected people in Bavaria no longer have to go into isolation from today (16.11.). "Instead of the obligation to isolate, there are mandatory protective measures for those who have tested positive," said Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) on Tuesday. From now on, they will be required to wear a mask, as well as being banned from entering and working in medical and nursing facilities, for example. Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein also announced new regulations last week.
The new measures will also apply to Bavarian schools from Wednesday. The principle applies: "Anyone who is ill does not go to school," said the health and education ministries in unison. Representatives of the Bavarian teachers' associations called for clear and implementable rules and a clear definition of what "sick" or "contagious" means on Tuesday.
Holetschek said that the decision to lift the obligation to isolate and the new protective measures was taken in consultation with experts. "One thing is clear: we will not let the pandemic run free". The new regulations are a balance between personal responsibility and the protection of vulnerable groups of people.
The German Foundation for Patient Protection criticized the new regulations as "contradictory" and "chaotic". There can be no talk of infection protection for vulnerable groups. The Bavarian Economic Advisory Council, on the other hand, called the end of the obligation to isolate a "right step at the right time".
So far, people who have been infected with the corona virus have had to be isolated in Bavaria for five to ten days - depending on whether and how long they had symptoms. Similarly, the new protective measures for those who have tested positive apply for at least five days. Infected people must then be symptom-free for at least 48 hours before the measures are lifted - however, they end after 10 days even if the symptoms persist.
It is still unclear how the mask requirement in local public transport will behave in Bavaria in the future. The current regulation is valid until December 9th. According to the situation, it will then be decided whether the obligation is still needed, it said on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting in Munich. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had previously discussed an end to the obligation.
