According to Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD), the corona protection rules for autumn should not provide for school closures. “There will no longer be the possibility of school closures,” the SPD politician told the ARD capital studio on Friday.
In general, however, “many further measures” are also planned for different scenarios, which the federal states and sometimes also the federal government could use. Lauterbach said he was negotiating with Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) about a “very good package” that should be presented soon.
This is about follow-up regulations for the Corona provisions in the Infection Protection Act, which expire on September 23. They are the legal basis for measures in the federal states and name possible instruments. By spring, the provisions had been greatly reduced. This eliminated general mask requirements for events or when shopping, as did access rules such as 2G or 3G.
Buschmann had already stated at the beginning of July that one could say that interventions such as lockdowns, school closures and curfews were no longer proportionate.
According to Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach, the vaccines adapted to the new corona variants should also be available at the beginning of autumn. “In September we will have adapted vaccines,” he said on Friday on ARD. There have been delays here, “but the good news is: They are coming.” The adapted vaccines would “significantly” reduce the risk of corona infection.
When asked when corona vaccines would be available for children under the age of five, Lauterbach referred to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). He cannot say when they will make their approval decision, but he hopes that this will happen “quickly”. The data for the corresponding vaccines is “actually very good”. So far, there are only approved corona vaccines in the EU for people over the age of five.
Lauterbach also commented on the question of a fourth corona vaccination. Here the impression was created that he generally recommended such a second booster vaccination to younger people, which was criticized. But this is a “misrepresentation” of his opinion, said the minister. For people under 60, the fourth vaccination can only make sense in certain cases, especially if they have “a lot of contacts”.
Lauterbach named people who work in a bar or in a workshop as examples. They should talk to their family doctor about a possible second booster. He himself has already received the fourth vaccination because he has many contacts and his risk of infection is therefore “very high”, said the 59-year-old.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) currently recommends the fourth vaccination for people over 70, those with previous illnesses and nursing staff.
