SPD leader Saskia Esken called the agreements a "awful signal to families". Katja Dörner, vice faction-leader of the Greens, criticized: "Plans to open the day care centers remain vague, families still do not know what to expect. The Federal Drug Commissioner, Daniela Ludwig (CSU), warned of the long-term consequences, especially for the children of addicted parents.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state premiers had agreed in principle on Wednesday that every pupil and every pre-school child should, if possible, visit school or day-care centre at least once more before the summer holidays. Details are to be regulated by the states. Emergency care in the day-care centres is to be expanded everywhere by 11 May at the latest. Some states have already done so and have also announced further plans to re-open daycare centres.

Esken criticised that there is a concrete concept for the premier soccer league, but not for the education and care of children. "In this context, the continuation of the Bundesliga is good news for many fans - to many parents it must seem cynical," she told the German Press Agency. Green family politician Dörner told the dpa: "Furthermore, the needs of children are not being adequately addressed.“ She said that it was about child care and employment, but also about the situation of the children themselves.

Green faction leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt also sees deficits: she expects "concrete action plans" that help people and give them a perspective. If there were already "profiling competitions" of the prime ministers, "then there should be one about better protection concepts for old people and risk groups or about safe access to schools, instead of only presenting minimal progress here", she said.

Patient focus groups demand a protection concept for nursing homes similar to that for the German Soccer League. In nursing care for the elderly, the high-risk group lives together in a very confined space, said Eugen Brysch, Chairman of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, to the German Press Agency. "Therefore, nationwide standards for infection protection are of vital importance."

The protection plan of the German Soccer League (DFL) for the continued operation of the Bundesliga, which has also been approved by the German government, shows how this could look like in practice. Such a concept must now be transferred to nursing homes in addition to the necessary basic protection. "So 800,000 people in need of care and hundreds of thousands of employees must be tested for the virus every week.“

The federal government's drug commissioner expects that the consequential damages of the Corona crisis will keep society busy for years to come. "Think of the children of addicted parents. They suddenly sit there all alone with their drunk father or mother - without outside help in the worst case", the CSU politician told the newspaper "Welt".

This Thursday, the Bundestag will again deal with various aspects of the Corona crisis. For example, the parliament wants to pass exceptional rules regarding parental benefits. The basis for calculating the state benefit is to be changed temporarily so that mothers and fathers who had or have lost income due to the crisis will not receive less parental benefit. A law to support science and students is also to be passed.

For the first time, the Bundestag will deal with a bill of the coalition on further measures in the health care system to mitigate the consequences of the epidemic. There are plans to introduce more comprehensive reporting obligations for doctors and laboratories, which in future will also report negative test results and recovered cases. The financing of a targeted corona bonus for nursing staff is also to be regulated.

Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) had withdrawn plans for a proof of immunity for the corona virus for the time being in view of criticism, also from the SPD.

Original text: dpa

Translation: Mareike Graepel