Health Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) Photo: Fabian Sommer
From BZ/dpa
Despite the expected corona wave in autumn and winter, Berlin’s health senator Ulrike Gote does not assume that the situation will be comparable to that of the previous year.
“I think we are far, far away from the tough measures,” said Gote on Wednesday evening in the RBB “Abendschau”. The Greens politician assumes that there will still be a mask requirement in local public transport in Berlin. She does not assume further drastic measures if one does not slip into a “very bad scenario”.
The federal cabinet had previously launched a draft that provides for more extensive rules on masks and tests from October 1st to April 7th, 2023. The countries should be able to impose them and expand them in critical situations.
Gote emphasized that the countries would have liked clearer guidelines on which criteria had to be met in order to avoid an excessive burden on the health system. Now the countries would have to coordinate closely to avoid a “patchwork”. For people, “understandable, clear rules that are as simple as possible throughout Germany” are important.
The plans approved by the cabinet on Wednesday include a nationwide FFP2 mask requirement on airplanes and long-distance trains. Children between the ages of 6 and 14 and staff should also be able to wear medical masks. In clinics and nursing homes, a mask requirement should apply nationwide, where you should also have to prove a negative corona test before entering.