Corona Summit – Chancellor Merkel must decide

Good morning, dear readers,

Here is an annotated overview of the day’s topics:

Was it war?

Don’t complain, just lead by example. Be positive and constructive. Do not participate in clay fights. So you have to argue, even when it comes to the whole thing: with Corona, with lockdown and mitigate. This is why regularly dawns about how it happens A viable strategy We could look at, which puts the pathogen at work. We looked at role models and experiences. We looked at how the ongoing action against the virus in other countries – including Finland, Norway, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia – had proven effective. The goal should be it The occurrence number is zero Sen: So it should have been read here, justified by the statements and discussed constructively. A broad coalition of scholars had always exploded in the same century and is now behind the logo ‘No Covid’ Collected. But it is not enough to speak from a positive perspective. To see the whole picture, one also has to look at the alternative.

An impressive group of politicians and a small minority of scientists talk about the minimally invasive strategy: As few restrictions as possible, please! Relax as fast as you can! Appeals to personal responsibility rather than binding rules! Just like the virus’ non-spread strategy, this concept needs to be measured by how well it works in practice. There are now enough examples, for example in the United States and Great Britain. We can look at Sweden or Switzerland or Brazil. And in the mirror. Germany used both approaches. In the first wave, we focused on the ongoing fight against Corona – in the fall and winter, on the other hand, we only did the minimum for as long as possible, followed by a tepid shutdown, which only led to more stringent restrictions of late.

What is the measure of our success? Let’s start with Economy at. You hit everyone hard. Countries that wanted to keep the store open as much as possible were severely punished. Production and business have not escaped brutal curtailment. Competition performance is impressive: China, Taiwan and Vietnam are posting real growth. Yes, even those countries that have taken strict measures against the virus – including Corona invaders from Asia – have not gone unpunished and took losses. However, there is no relationship in the competition between concepts. The lukewarm economic part stands behind the tough Aura fighters (You can read it here).

If you resort to human victims, it will look even darker: The cautious fight against Corona turns out to be a disaster.

In this graph from the “Financial Times” We see the relentlessly growing number of victims in those countries that believed they could outrun the virus – and in comparison to Norway with its organized management of the epidemic. Yes, I did not intentionally choose an Asian country for comparison because, according to some contemporaries, it seems that Asia is somewhat different, an island, communist or something else that they like to blame the great difference in the number of victims. Not take Norway: European and Scandinavian countries and the neighborhood of Sweden, where citizens were not expected to close cafes and let the virus transmit. The Swedes can also be seen in the drawing: If you look up from the Norwegian curve.

Hundreds of thousands of people in many countries had to pay for believing in a slow compromise. In fact, no one should know it better than we do, for example, when the first wave in Germany finally calmed down. 8,000 people They lost their lives. So the end result was a faster, more decisive procedure, and that’s sad enough. In the wave of autumn and winter, we were guided for a very long time by the demands of those who resisted the cuts. He died this time More than 50,000 people – And the wave isn’t over yet. This is the situation before today’s meeting between the chancellor and the prime ministers, and some of them count the minutes again so that they can finally relax. I sometimes wonder what keeps this situation alive. What really needs to happen to prove the concept failed.

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What are you doing?

Michael Mueller, Angela Merkel and Marcus Söder today will announce an extension of the lockdown until March 1. (Source: Imago Pictures)

Pianist Igor Levitt tweeted: “How deep can you drown…”, Zait colleague Bernd Ulrich said, “I don’t think you can control the epidemic through reckless grumbling or yawning provocations.” Several other opinion leaders joined the chorus of protest. Reason for Excitement: Guest input from the writer Thomas Prossage In the features section of “Süddeutsche Zeitung” titled “Dare more Dictatority”. In it, the author compares the slow German epidemic policy with the success in combating Corona in dictatorial China, and talks about:Democracy deficit “ And he demands: “Democracy should not take its rituals and harassment seriously.”

For my part, I am very happy to live in a democracyEven if it was part of their “rituals and embarrassment” that night Angela Merkel (CDU), Berlin’s ruling governor Michael Muller (Social Democratic Party) and the Prime Minister of Bavaria Marcus Söder (CSU) request a press conference, To announce the results of the Interstate Federal Transformation Conference in complicated words. You may have really learned from a stalled vaccination start and could go along with the need ”National vaccination plan Increased reliability of deliveries. As for the debate Complete lockoutRelax As far as this is concerned, decision makers may want to read the above lines again. Either way, they will wrestle hard. This is the case in a federal democracy, and that’s a good thing. But in the end, common sense is allowed to prevail.

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The ruling Christian Democratic Union is also struggling hard to find the right course for Corona. Vice President of the Union Parliamentary Bloc Thorsten Frey He told my colleague Tim Commert: “We must do our best to reduce the infection rate to less than 50 by the beginning of March. We are not far from that goal. After this date, people then need a clear determination, and above all, a reliable perspective, what is Areas we can open up to. I’m afraid: if this perspective is missing, epidemic fatigue will prevail. “

Thorsten Frei is demanding the government have a long-term plan. (Source: Imago Pictures)

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Ursula von der Leyen stands in Brussels Today MEPs questions about the European vaccination strategy and design contract with manufacturers. But above all, Parliament wants it European Union Corona Development Fund Bring under one roof: 672.5 billion euros In grants and loans to help the 27 member states out of the pandemic. For Germany more than 22 billion inside.

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The party scene in Italy is like a mosaic, Hence, political alliances are fragile. But now everything suddenly seems very simple: almost all bosses can look forward to it Mario Draghi Some, the former head of the European Central Bank. The 73-year-old must lead the country out of the crisis as the new Prime Minister with a Assembly of Experts. These days he explores the situation, but the main heroes – through Matteo Renzi On Silvio Berlusconi And the Matteo Salvini reach to Baby Grillo – It looks like he’s already stopped by his side. FAZ colleagues dare to set expectations: Unless all is well, Draghi will form a broad political and social coalition by the end of this week that he can face the vote of confidence in Parliament on Friday or next Monday.” Let us wish the Italians to prove the paste in their mosaic this time.

Mario Draghi is supposed to lead Italy out of the Corona crisis. (Source: Michael Probst / AP / dpa)

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What do you read, hear, see?

I can tell you: It is not a good idea to be on the “death list” of right-wing extremists as a journalist or politician. Now the federal government wants to finally criminalize the distribution of such lists. it’s time.

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Although the population has already been vaccinated, there has been an outbreak of corona in a nursing home in Lower Saxony. How do we explain this and what it means for the development of the epidemic My colleague Melanie Weiner wrote.

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He is outside It’s freezing cold, it’s warm inside – But what about those who don’t have an inside? In our video format “ask me” Says A. Homeless man From his life on the street – And you can ask questions to him.

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Julia Kluckner She is a great Minister of Agriculture and has so many great ideas with which she can improve farmers’ lives. Everything else from colleagues on the great ZDF editorial team.

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Some readers I’d like a link to the detailed podcast at dawn again, in which Mark Krueger and I discussed the current situation of Corona and Germany’s difficult relationship with Russia. Can I help you.

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What am I happy about?

Crazy, such glaring white things are dropping from the sky outside, it’s really disastrous!

(Source: Mario Lars)

Have a nice day, for example walking in the snow.

Warm greetings,

Your

Florian Harms
Editor-in-chief of t-online
E-mail: [email protected]

With materials from dpa.

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