Dhe deputy FDP chairman Wolfgang Kubicki sharply criticized Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and accused weakness in the management of his department. “To be honest, I don’t assume that Karl Lauterbach will remain in office as Minister of Health for the entire legislative period,” said Kubicki of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Monday).
Kubicki suggested that Lauterbach lacked the support of his own party. “The SPD itself is completely annoyed by Lauterbach. If you ask around the employees of his house, the frustration can no longer be topped. People ask which Twitter channel they would have to use to know what the minister wants.” Kubicki added: “Lauterbach is getting bogged down. He cannot run the house. ”The Federal Minister of Health had recently made it clear that he was critical of hasty decisions on further corona easing in the spring.
Bavaria’s health minister calls for an end to the “basta mentality”
The government made up of SPD, Greens and FDP began work almost a year ago. Olaf Scholz took his oath of office as Chancellor on December 8, 2021. After the enthusiasm at the beginning, there was a crunch between the three parties – especially from the FDP, after defeats in state elections, critical voices came to cooperation.
In the debate about the obligation to wear masks in long-distance transport, Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek called on Lauterbach to move away from his “basta mentality” if he was interested in a uniform regulation. The CSU politician told the editorial network Germany: “I see personal responsibility as the leitmotif of this late Corona phase. That’s why I expect that we will waive the obligation to wear masks in public transport as soon as it makes sense.”
The health ministers of the federal and state governments want to deal with the obligation to wear masks on buses and trains and the obligation to isolate people infected with corona this Monday. They connect digitally to the consultations.
Most recently, there had been no uniform line among the transport ministers on the obligation to wear masks in public transport. Some countries wanted to abolish the obligation as early as January 1st, others only after the winter due to the continuing tense situation in the pandemic, according to the conference of transport ministers last Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether the health ministers will find common ground.
There is a patchwork quilt with a view to the isolation requirement for corona positives. Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate have now lifted the isolation requirement of at least five days.
