“Follow science and don’t spread panic”

The SPD, Greens and FDP have spoken out against demands to tighten entry rules because of the corona wave in China. “It is important to critically monitor the development of the infection situation in China and to react if necessary. I do not think it is appropriate at this point in time to restrict entry or even to issue flight bans," said Heike Baehrens, health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, WELT. "According to the Federal Ministry of Health, there is currently no evidence to classify China as a virus variant area."

Baehrens thus turned against the initiative of the CDU politician Stephan Pilsinger, who had accused Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) of inconsistency. "It is inconsistent on the one hand to maintain the mask requirement in long-distance traffic and on the other hand to refrain from meaningful testing of air travelers from China," says Pilsinger. Pilsinger, a member of the Health Committee of the German Bundestag, called for all travelers from China to be tested immediately without any reason in order to quickly identify "the introduction of new variants".

Rapid pan-European action is needed: "It should also not be ruled out that air traffic with China across Europe will be stopped if dangerous variants are diagnosed that will come to our country more quickly in this way."

The Greens health expert Janosch Dahmen rejected this: "The idea of ​​trying to stop the entry of the corona virus in the event of an outbreak of the dimensions we are currently seeing in China through travel restrictions or the suspension of direct flight connections to Germany is unrealistic."

Anyone who is concerned with medically effective protection and not with symbolic politics should focus primarily on more systematic protection using simpler instruments in the coming winter weeks. This included wearing masks indoors, testing before meetings with risk groups and the reliable implementation of proven hygiene concepts.

"A large number of people who are infected with the corona virus offers the virus many opportunities to change," says Dahmen. “Therefore, it is now very important to keep a close eye on mutation variant monitoring. New, much more dangerous virus variants are unlikely, but possible.”

Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus, parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group, warned against stirring up panic. "Mr. Pilsinger should also be guided by science and not spread panic," she said. "Leading virologists assume that the coronavirus wave in China will not create a new virus. Virus variants arise all over the world, but there is no evidence of a dangerous mutation," said the Liberal.

Therefore, close observation is the appropriate response. "We are in an endemic phase in Germany, have a basic immunization rate of over 95 percent, and effective vaccines are available. Therefore, there is no longer any reason for state-imposed protective measures.”

AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel advocated monitoring the situation carefully. "As far as we know, the corona mutations from China pose little problem for other countries." The calls for stricter entry restrictions against China exposed all those who still dream of a zero-Covid policy. All restrictions on citizens’ fundamental rights, including any mask requirement, would have to be lifted. "We have long since arrived in an endemic state."

France has asked all EU countries to have travelers from China tested for the corona virus. People arriving from China will only be allowed to enter Canada or Australia from January 5 with a negative test. Morocco will no longer allow travelers from China into the country from January 3rd.

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