Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – The CDU parliamentary group wants to see the mask requirement in Saxony-Anhalt limited to the medical field in the future, but is on a confrontational course with the coalition partner SPD. The obligation should only apply to hospitals and medical practices after the current Corona Containment Ordinance expires at the end of October, the parliamentary group announced on Thursday in Magdeburg. It would therefore no longer apply to buses and trains. A corresponding resolution had been passed by a majority. The “Magdeburger Volksstimme” had previously reported about it.

“Justify a high vaccination rate and a low hospitalization rate, also against the background of new virus variants, no fundamental state-prescribed interventions in personal freedom and decision-making rights of the citizens to protect against Covid-19,” said CDU parliamentary group leader Guido Heuer.

The newspaper quoted SPD faction leader Katja Pähle: “The demand for the abolition of the mask requirement is a phantom debate at the wrong time.” The conference of health ministers recently unanimously decided to make masks compulsory in local public transport. There is no need for a Saxony-Anhalt special route. The CDU governs Saxony-Anhalt together with the SPD and FDP. FDP health politician Konstantin Pott said that the liberals could well imagine that masks would no longer be compulsory on buses and trains.

According to the report, the AfD group would welcome the abolition of the mask requirement. The left continues to see masks as necessary where many people come together in a small space. Green health politician Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz spoke of an “amazingly irresponsible proposal” at the beginning of the new infection season.

The Robert Koch Institute gave the number of registered new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and seven days on Thursday for Saxony-Anhalt as 385.2. A week ago the value was 365.1, two weeks ago it was 253.2. The registered Covid 19 infections are also increasing nationwide. The numbers only provide a very incomplete picture of the infection process. By far not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only positive PCR tests count in the statistics.

The current 18th Corona State Ordinance is valid until October 29th.