One day before the federal-state roundtable on the Corona situation, Wüst harshly criticised the likely future Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the plenary session. Scholz and the SPD-led Länder had delayed the Minister Presidents' Conference (MPK). As MPK chair, he had already pushed for the special meeting a fortnight ago, Wüst said. Now a lot of valuable time and, above all, acceptance and trust among the population had been lost. "We all know from the months of the pandemic that speed, determination and joint action are important," Wüst said amid loud heckling from the opposition.

The CDU head of government called on Scholz and the emerging new coalition of SPD, FDP and Greens to correct course. "Letting the epidemic situation expire in the face of this development is a mistake and sends the wrong signal. It is not too late to correct this mistake," Wüst said. "Even the future chancellor would not break a bone in his body to turn back at this point.“

According to Wüst, anyone who violates the mask requirement in NRW will in future face a fine of 150 euros instead of the previous 50 euros. In the case of falsified Corona test certificates, the fine will be increased fivefold to up to 5,000 euros. If Corona tests or vaccination certificates are not properly checked at events or in restaurants, 2,000 euros will be due instead of 500 euros. It must be clear to everyone: "This is no joke - health is at stake here, people's lives are at stake," said Wüst. He called for regular serious spot checks.

Wüst specified his plans for the 2G rule in the recreational sector, which includes access restrictions for adults who have not been vaccinated against or recovered from the Coronavirus. This would affect visits to restaurants and cinemas, Christmas markets, stadiums and cultural events. In places where the risk of infection is particularly high, CDU and FDP want to introduce a 2G plus rule, i.e. only allow participation by those who have been vaccinated and have recovered from the disease and who also present a current negative Corona test. This will apply, for example, in discos and clubs, but also at carnival meetings and carnival parties.

Children, however, are to continue to have access to activities in the leisure sector. For children, 2G does not apply, Wüst said. For the workplace, he announced a 3G regulation (vaccinated, recovered, tested). The regulations are to be put into effect in the course of the coming week after a cabinet decision.

With regard to the incidence values, the CDU politician said that NRW was introducing the 2G rule earlier than other states. In Saxony, for example, 2G was introduced only at a seven-day incidence of 491, in Bavaria only at a value of 348. In NRW, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days was 183 on Wednesday.

SPD opposition leader Thomas Kutschaty criticised the CDU/FDP coalition for "not having the courage or the strength" to introduce the important 2G rule in time. "Why is it taking so long?" In NRW, the number of new Corona infections jumped to a record 7,013 within one day. "What are you waiting for?" asked Kutschaty. Contrary to what Wüst was portraying, NRW was "no longer ahead of the game" in the pandemic. Many people would become infected in the coming days and weeks. Wüst's neologism of "concentrated vigilance" was only a "euphemism for doing nothing". CDU parliamentary party leader Bodo Löttgen accused the SPD of "scaremongering".

According to the Greens, the tightened Corona measures also come too late. The protective measures could take effect in 14 days at the earliest, said Greens faction leader Verena Schäffer. FDP faction leader Christof Rasche accused the opposition of badmouthing the Corona policy of the black-yellow state government. The occupancy rate of intensive care units in NRW was lower than in other states, and NRW was ahead of other states in the vaccination rate. The incidence in the state was 183 on Wednesday - but in Bavaria, for example, it was 568.

Rasche admitted that the decision in favour of the 2G rule in NRW had not been easy for the FDP parliamentary group. However, the FDP stands by the decision. The Corona measures were proportionate. For example, there would still be no access restrictions in trade, no compulsory masks in schools and no day-care and school closures.

Because of the 3G rule in the Landtag, the AfD parliamentary group followed the Corona debate on Wednesday in the visitors' gallery. For the first time, only members of parliament who had been vaccinated against the Corona virus, or who had recovered or been tested, were admitted to the plenary chamber for the special session. Although there are also vaccinated, recovered or tested members of the AfD, AfD MP Martin Vincentz said in his speech from the gallery. However, he said, the AfD wanted to make a deliberate statement. "We do not allow ourselves to be divided." The AfD also does not allow society to be divided into vaccinated and unvaccinated. The unvaccinated people would be portrayed as the "new culprits" in the pandemic.

(Original text: dpa / Translation: Mareike Graepel)