18th Nov 2021 the German Bundestag voted to pass the amendment to the Infection Protection Act submitted by the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. According to the amendment, German federal states can continue to retain some epidemic prevention measures such as mask orders and contact restrictions after the end of the “National Epidemic Emergency” on November 25.
At the same time, the amendment also stipulates the implementation of the principle of “vaccinated, recovered and tested” epidemic prevention in workplaces and public transportation, and families and doctors Treatment institutions will also implement stricter testing measures.
If the amendment is voted through and officially enters into force in the Federal Senate, Germany’s “National Epidemic Emergency” will officially end on November 25. This means that the federal and state will no longer be able to take stricter epidemic prevention measures such as lockdowns, closures of public facilities such as schools and restaurants, and curfews, unless the Bundestag votes again to enter a “national epidemic emergency”.
However, the amendments to the new Infection Protection Act also make federal and state epidemic prevention measures no longer need to be linked to the epidemic situation, and the government will have more flexible decision-making power on epidemic prevention measures.
At the same time, the amendment also stipulates that state governments can take stricter measures than federal epidemic prevention regulations under certain conditions to deal with special situations in areas with severe epidemics.
Previously, the end of the “National Epidemic Emergency” and the specific content of the amendments to the Infection Protection Law caused great controversy in all walks of life in Germany.
The Allied Party severely criticized the decision of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Democratic Party to end the “national epidemic emergency”, and German caretaker cabinet prime minister Merkel also said on the 17th that she herself believed that Germany was still in a “state of emergency”.
It is understood that the Federal Senate will vote on the amendment to the Infection Protection Act on the 19th.
