Coronavirus in Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that there were mistake she made during the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
Merkel openly admitted that the greatest government failure during the crisis was failing to take into consideration of old people’s homes in winter 2020 and nursing homes where at least 30,000 people died of covid-19 infection without the company of their loved ones.
BILD wrote that, ‘It was “the weakest moment in fighting the pandemic,” said Merkel in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” . A phase about which she is “still sad”. “Last Christmas at Christmas”, when tests were already available, despite all the efforts of the federal government, it took too long for the care facilities to implement the protective test regime.’
The head of the health insurance company, Andreas Gassen (59, KBV), pays tribute to: “It speaks for the personal greatness of the outgoing Chancellor to admit such a failure.” Such a mistake should not be repeated – Bild.
Merkel had rejected this advice failing to ‘completely cover’ risk groups. The tests were only implemented when it was too late. The German chancellor then explained that “the risk groups include not only the elderly”
At the end of October 2020, Angela Merkel met with the heads of union governments and instead of taking specific decisions to increase protection in old people’s homes, restrictions on people-to-people contacts were tightened and restaurants and hotels were closed. These restrictions were introduced from November 2, 2020.
The result of the decisions made at that time was a sharp increase in the number of infections among seniors, and thus deaths. In many places, conservation concepts did not come into force until it was too late. More than half of the coronavirus deaths in the winter of 2020 came from a retirement home, BILD notes.
Let’s not repeat the same mistakes in the winter of 2021
Coronavirus pandemic in Germany: Germany now faces its second winter with the coronavirus. This time, however, with vaccination rates above 70 percent, quick tests available, and knowledge of past mistakes, it shouldn’t have happened from a year ago.
Eugen Brysch, president of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, calls for free rapid tests for all people in need of care: “Free daily tests must be provided for 2.3 million people in need in Germany.”
According to Brysch, “valid vaccination status” alone is not enough. “In this way, we will protect hundreds of thousands of people from loneliness in nursing homes, from falling ill or dying. In order to live with the virus, no school, cinema or restaurant needs to be closed. It is not important to do everything, but to do the right thing. We don’t need a blockage for that.
Source: Bild,