“If I didn’t stand by Mr. Wieler, then he wouldn’t be here”

According to Tagesspiegel information, there was resentment between the Chancellor and the Prime Minister about RKI boss Lothar Wieler. On Tuesday afternoon, parallel to the round, he had called for more stringent measures that should be implemented soon.

Wieler spoke of “maximum contact restrictions” and “maximum speed when vaccinating the population”. Wieler is a member of the expert council set up by Scholz, which published a paper on Sunday in which the situation is described as dramatic because of the emerging omicron variant.

However, the Expert Council was reluctant to make specific proposals; this may not be part of its work mandate. Wieler has now made up for this in his capacity as RKI boss, the decision paper in the MPK with Scholz obviously does not go far enough for him.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said in the switch that there was no scientific censorship, but that the publication was “not coordinated”, as the German press agency learned from participants. That shouldn’t happen. Lauterbach himself had ruled out a lockdown at Christmas, also at the weekend. Scholz was also upset, reported the “Spiegel” and the “Bild” unanimously.

In the federal press conference, which Lauterbach had attended together with Lothar Wieler on Wednesday, he was also addressed on the subject. Lauterbach was asked whether he was still behind the RKI boss. “If I didn’t stand by Mr. Wieler, then he wouldn’t be sitting here,” emphasized the Minister of Health.

In his ministry there is no censorship when it comes to scientific work: a core element of his work is that he is strongly oriented towards scientific knowledge. Unfortunately, the results would not have reached him before the MPK, that could be optimized.

Wieler defends recommendations

Wieler himself defended his proposals. He said that he saw “no contradiction” to a proposal by the German government’s expert council, of which he was a member. This body merely asked to do something without specifying what. “The RKI is just an institution that then translates that into concrete recommendations.” The RKI is a research institute of the federal government that belongs to the division of the Ministry of Health. Lauterbach is practically Wieler’s boss.

Wieler praised the measures decided by the federal and state governments for the period after Christmas as “very, very good”, despite his much more far-reaching recommendation. “There are stringent measures that will slow down the rate of infection,” he said. But he did not want to say whether he thought the measures were sufficient: “Whether I am satisfied or dissatisfied is completely irrelevant.”

In the ARD “Tagesthemen”, Lauterbach said on Tuesday evening: “I attach great importance to the scientific advice also from the RKI, we work hand in hand. But in the context of the RKI’s scientific work there can sometimes be a requirement that we do not implement immediately, ”he said. Together with Wieler, Lauterbach wants to inform again about the Corona situation in Germany on Wednesday in Berlin.

In the ARD, Lauterbach defended the federal-state resolutions, but did not rule out tougher steps. The SPD politician was certain that the restrictions on private and public life decided on after Christmas would have an effect. “But we’re not ruling anything out. So if the number of cases actually developed in such a way that a hard lockdown also had to be discussed, then there would be no red lines. “

Wüst is forgiving

The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) had demanded respect for the work of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The federal government must also include the RKI’s expert council in its planning in the future, said Wüst after the state minister-presidents with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Tuesday. Wüst is currently the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK).

A few hours before the top round, the RKI issued a new statement calling for immediate measures such as the closure of restaurants and an extension of the Christmas holidays for schools and daycare centers. The recommendations did not agree with the views of the federal government “in some parts” and went beyond the recommendations of the expert council, said Wüst.

One does not have to share every single point of the RKI’s views. “But from my point of view it is important that the RKI is shown the respect it deserves”. Because the Federal Institute had “saved many lives” with its work in the past months of the pandemic, said the Prime Minister. (Tsp with agencies)