Coronavirus pandemic: Leopoldina calls for more consistent action
15.10.2020 13:06
From the perspective of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the decisions made yesterday (October 14, 20) and the regulations drawn up by the federal/state round about the coronavirus pandemic are not sufficient to control and contain the infection process.
In the last few days, new infections have risen sharply in almost all regions of Germany. In most neighboring European countries, the infection rate is already out of control. In Germany too, many infection chains in hotspots can no longer be traced. “In the coming days and weeks, the pandemic can only be contained if the federal states agree on and implement mandatory and uniform protective measures. They must be mandatory from 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days and not just be formulated as a recommendation,” says the President of the Leopoldina, Gerald Haug.
The federal system in Germany has proven to be resilient and in some respects advantageous during the pandemic. However, in the situation that is now escalating across the board, it is important to act in a comprehensible and coordinated manner in order to avert dangers to the general public and prevent a new lockdown. Even if the infection rate in some federal states has so far been lower than in certain risk areas, it is necessary to introduce uniform rules that are based on nationwide limit values. This is the only way to strengthen trust in political decisions and the understanding of the necessity of the measures.
Effective action must clearly distinguish between the local response to an infection and the prevention of transmission. It is now important to take sensible and well-founded preventive measures nationwide. According to current surveys, the population's willingness to support the measures remains high. All rules must be uniform and known everywhere and communicated understandably and transparently.
If politicians do not act proactively in view of the expected exponential increase in the number of infections, public life and the economy will be more restricted than was necessary. In addition, the educational opportunities of children and young people will decline, the health system will be overloaded and individual freedoms will be even more restricted.
It is known which situations promote transmission and what causes infections: many and close contacts in closed rooms, little supply of fresh air, dense crowds inside or outside and speaking in lively or loud environments. What is particularly necessary are masks worn correctly over the mouth and nose, as a distance of two meters often cannot and is not maintained, regular ventilation, avoiding crowds of people and loud speaking. These protective measures must apply to all public spaces, including workplaces and educational institutions. The Leopoldina recommended further measures in its sixth ad hoc statement on the coronavirus pandemic “Setting up effective rules for autumn and winter”: www.leopoldina.org/publikationen/detailansicht/publication/coronavirus-pandemie-effective-rules-fuer-herbst-und-winter-aufstellen-2020/