The excitement was great when the convalescent status for ex-corona infected people was shortened in mid-January. Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach denied any guilt – he did not know about such plans. An email between the RKI and the Ministry of Health raises doubts.
The fact that the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) almost unilaterally and overnight reduced the convalescent status of formerly corona infected people from six to three months in January – Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) found that “not okay”, he complained in an interview “Picture”. “I was not informed about that,” he also explained to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and thus also counted RKI boss Lothar Wieler.
But did Lauterbach possibly know about it? An e-mail from the RKI to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) that is available to the “world” now suggests this. This dates from January 11th and informs about the upcoming reduction of the convalescent status.
The RKI wants to clarify the last questions with the letter: Does the three-month recovery status apply from the onset of symptoms or from a positive test? And should the changed regulation refer to “completed 3rd month” or rather 90 days? Since the revision is to be published three days later, on January 14, the research institution is asking for “a timely meeting with the BMG,” it says.
And the e-mail does not disappear into the ministry’s inbox nirvana – the employees of Lauterbach’s authority read the e-mail and work out the final touches with the RKI, as the newspaper reports. Finally, the Ministry of Health then approves the change “in the context of an oral consultation”, explains a lawyer from the Ministry in an interview with “Welt”.
On January 15th, the shortening of the recovered status will be published on the RKI website. A few hours earlier, Lauterbach was still in front of the Federal Council, which was voting on a new Corona regulation that day. He promises the state leaders to inform them in good time about possible changes to the regulation and to take the objections of the federal states seriously. A short time later, the prime ministers feel betrayed when they spot changes on the RKI’s homepage.
As a result, the Minister of Health was met with a wave of indignation. But the ministry protects its head: Lauterbach is said not to have known about the plans. “At the time of his speech in the Bundesrat, the minister was not aware that the convalescent status beyond the quarantine rules had already been in effect by January 15th. would be changed,” explains a ministry spokesman. This is due to “communication problems” between the RKI and the ministry. In addition, the speaker cites internal communication difficulties.
What remains piquant: The Ministry of Health had delayed the provision of the e-mail in question, which “Welt” requested on the basis of the Freedom of Information Act, for months.
