Dresden (dpa/sn) - As announced, Saxony will lift all state-wide corona protection measures this Friday. An end to the state requirements is necessary, said Health Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) on Tuesday after the cabinet meeting in Dresden, referring to the current infection situation. Only the obligation to test in health facilities remains. It is regulated in the Federal Infection Protection Act. However, Saxony facilitates these requirements. Children under the age of six are not required to take the test.
On Tuesday, the Robert Koch Institute gave the seven-day incidence for Saxony at 43.4. This is the third lowest value nationwide after Thuringia and Hamburg. It gives the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week. Within 24 hours, 452 people in Saxony were infected with the corona virus.
According to Köpping, 327 beds in normal wards and 31 in intensive care wards are currently occupied by corona patients. In both cases the trend is downward. “That means that we don’t have the hospitals overloaded by Corona,” said the minister. Nationwide, corona infections would only account for two percent of acute respiratory diseases.
With the lifting of the nationwide corona protection measures, the obligation to isolate in the event of illness also ends. In Köpping's view, however, people's personal responsibility and consideration are now becoming more important. "Anyone who is sick stays at home," warned the minister. Voluntary isolation is also possible. Everyone can protect themselves, that is the top priority.
The state-wide Corona Protection Ordinance in Saxony is formally valid until April 7th. If the regulations in the Infection Protection Act were to be lifted more quickly, the obligation to test in hospitals, medical practices and nursing homes would fall more quickly, it said.
