A German state governor has proposed to end blanket coronavirus restrictions in his region but the plans have received heavy criticism from other officials.
It would be a first for the country after a comparatively successful response to the pandemic.
Governor of eastern state Thuringia Bodo Ramelow said on Saturday that he hopes to lift the remaining statewide lockdown rules on June 6.
He hopes to replace them with ‘a concept of recommendations and fighting Covid-19 locally if infection figures rise’.
Governor of eastern state Thuringia Bodo Ramelow (left) said on Saturday that he hopes to lift the remaining statewide lockdown rules on June 6
It’s not clear exactly how it would work yet but Ramelow’s idea centres on taking action in individual cities or countries if they report 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week.
That’s a lower threshold than the 50 which is currently the national standard.
He said that he would place his trust in people’s ‘sense of responsibility for themselves’, The Times reported.
While Ramelow’s proposal drew some praise, there was criticism from the mayor of one of the state’s biggest cities Jena which pioneered requiring people to wear face masks in some situations.
Thomas Nitzsche compared the proposed change in a Facebook post to ‘entering a mine field’.
All 16 states currently have coronavirus rules including physical distancing requirements and an obligation to wear masks on public transport and in shops
The chief of staff at neighbouring Bavaria’s governor said his government was ‘appalled’ and bluntly rejected Ramelow’s idea.
Florian Herrmann told the Bild newspaper: ‘Thuringia’s plans are a highly dangerous experiment for everyone in this country.
‘Lifting all protective measures comes too soon and isn’t appropriate in the current situation, because the virus hasn’t yet been defeated.’
Saarland governor Tobias Hans was more diplomatic but told Die Welt that even as restrictions are loosened ‘we still need rules set by the state so that imperatives of caution are complied with, to avoid regional lockdowns and high death rates.’
The interior minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state Lorenz Caffier told Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper: ‘I think a complete, fast loosening (of restrictions) is premature.’
Thuringia’s new approach would raise pressure on other states to ease their lockdowns further
Joint leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party Saskia Esken told Die Welt that while the idea sounded appealing it was destined to fail and the reports of people breaking the 1.5m distance were worrying.
She added that people still need national rules for clarity, certainty and guidance for hygiene, distancing and limiting contacts.
Mr Ramelow’s main ally, a senior politician from the Social Democrats, said his remarks had lead to confusion, The Times reported.
In Germany, state governments are responsible for imposing and lifting lockdown restrictions.
All 16 states currently have coronavirus rules including physical distancing requirements and an obligation to wear masks on public transport and in shops.
Pastor Christoph Knoll from Erfurt Thomas community speaks during a sermon while people sit in their cars as they attend an Easter Sunday religious service
Thuringia’s new approach would raise pressure on other states to ease their lockdowns further.
Germany started easing lockdown restrictions on April 20 and so far new coronavirus infections have continued to decline overall.
Lockdown measures in other states will continue to be eased on a less radical scale with schools, bars, restaurants, hotels, gyms and swimming pools set to reopen.
Outbreaks at several slaughterhouses have recently caused concern though along with infections at a restaurant in the country’s northwest.
Two female heads of a bronze figure wear a protective face mask in Jena, Thuringia
There were 100 new infections after a single Baptist service in Frankfurt last Sunday.
Germany has reported more than 180,000 cases of coronavirus and almost 8,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The death rate in Germany is lower than in several other European countries and Thuringia’s overall infection rate is below Germany’s national average.
Johns Hopkins University has recorded 2,865 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Thuringia and 152 deaths.
Although the infection rates in ‘hotspots’ across the country, including the districts of Greiz and Sonneberg in Thuringia, have risen above the national limit at times.