What next in the corona pandemic? The applicable protective regulations are increasingly being questioned, individual federal states are pushing ahead and abolishing the obligation to isolate and wear a mask. The pressure for change is also growing in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) - The opposition in the Schwerin state parliament is pushing for an end to the mask requirement in local public transport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and for the isolation requirement for corona infected people to be lifted. AfD, CDU and FDP have submitted motions to the state parliament session that begins on Wednesday. "It's time to deal with the issue more aggressively. The numbers show that," said the CDU parliamentary group leader, Franz-Robert Liskow, in Schwerin. On Monday, the health ministers of the federal states also dealt with the topic at a digital conference.
The number of new infections registered in the north-east had fallen back to the September level after an increase in October, and the proportion of severe illnesses was comparatively low. "Anyone who is sick stays at home. It's no different with the flu and it's everyone's responsibility," said Liskow.
FDP parliamentary group leader René Domke made a similar statement: "After three years of the pandemic, we should now focus more on personal responsibility again. Where people come together very closely, wearing a mask is advisable, but it no longer has to be prescribed." Domke also expressed the view that the strict hygiene rules contributed to weakening the immune system, so that other viruses would now have an easier time.
AfD Vice-Chairman Thomas de Jesus Fernandes renewed the call for an immediate end to the mask and isolation requirements. "It makes little sense to wear a mask on the tram and then plunge into Christmas shopping in the city centers without a mask," he said.
However, the government factions of the SPD and the left continued to urge caution. "Despite all the impatience, which I understand, we shouldn't give up proven protective measures too quickly. We shouldn't challenge it and wait for the winter," said SPD parliamentary group leader Julian Barlen. "The risk of infection is still high. Like most other federal states, we should remain cautious and monitor developments," said Jeannine Rösler, leader of the left-wing parliamentary group. The state government had previously pleaded for nationwide regulations on several occasions.
Several federal states, including Schleswig-Holstein, had announced that they did not want to extend the mask requirement on buses and trains, thereby fueling the debate. According to the Greifswald corona expert Lars Kaderali, it would be too early to remove the obligation to wear a mask on buses and trains. There are arguments for the omission, such as a higher level of immunity in the population after corona waves in summer and autumn. However, the fact that it is not yet known how strong the expected winter wave will be, speaks against it, he recently explained.
