The German Bundestag extended on Thursday the “epidemic of a national scale” in connection with the coronavirus, the decision was adopted by a majority of votes – 368 against 293, according to the website of the parliament.
A proposal to extend the regime was made earlier by the factions of the parties that make up the German coalition government – the CDU / CSU alliance and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The “Left” and “Green” factions also supported the proposal. Liberals from the Free Democratic Party abstained, the right from the “Alternative for Germany” voted against, calling for the abolition of this regime altogether as hindering the realization of the constitutional rights of citizens.
The national epidemic mode allows the authorities to make decisions to combat the pandemic, for example, to conduct tests or vaccinations, without involving the chamber of the federal states – the Bundesrat. The regime was introduced by the decision of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany on May 25, 2020, and was extended in November last year. If a decision to extend this provision is not made after three months, the regime will automatically terminate.
According to the German law on the infectious protection of the population, a national epidemic regime is introduced when “there is a serious threat to public health throughout the FRG.”