Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia – in the five new länder of the Corona-infection numbers are especially low. FOCUS Online explains why fewer people are infected with the Virus than in the West.
Saxony-Anhalt to Meet again with five people, Saxony, opened one of the first provinces to its schools for high school graduates, Thuringia wants to make pubs and restaurants in mid-may, accessible and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania plans to vacation again to let guests into the country.
While other Federal States such as Bavaria, long held back, rushed Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt to the front, which relates to relaxation of the output constraints. What has provoked some of the criticism, justified in Saxony pay-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff with the much lower Infection than in the West of the Republic.
One of the beginning of the week, the Robert-Koch Institute, in the five Eastern länder, the Infected together 12.365, which account for only 7.5 percent of the total infected in Germany (163.860 cases / 5. May) accounts. A small number when you consider that with 12.5 million inhabitants, about 15 percent of the people live in the East.
A similar picture emerges in the case of the Covid19-dead. In the East, 458 people (5 died. May). The are only 6.7 per cent of a total of 6831 dead across the country. What are the reasons that there are in the New Federal States, less infections? FOCUS Online explains to.
1. Lower Population Density
Very low infection numbers have the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (709) and Brandenburg (3006). Both of these States are of the area behind Bayern, lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, ranked four and five. But both countries have the lowest population density in Germany.
In Brandenburg, only 85 inhabitants per square kilometre. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there are 69 even less. Self-Thüringen (132) and Saxony-Anhalt (108) are relatively sparsely populated. Only Saxony with 221 via the cut. For comparison: In North Rhine-Westphalia, 526 inhabitants are crammed into one square meters. Where fewer people live, there is less infections. "Social Distancing" can be maintained due to the lower colonization better.
2. Higher Average Age
In the East of the Republic and more elderly people, who account for about 25 percent of the population lives in addition. In the West, it is only 17 percent. Many older people will not go, except to go shopping regularly out of the house, which minimizes the risk of Infection. In people 80 years or older in the five New Federal States, with a share of nearly nine percent of the total population at the top, also because many young people went to the turn in the West.
3. More Pronounced Rusticity
In addition to the low population density and the higher average age is a further factor plays a major role. Except for Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin, there are hardly any conurbations in the East, where the infection rapidly spread. Million-cities – apart from Berlin – not there. This high degree of rurality of the few metropolises, forming a kind of protective function against further infections.
4. Regional Population Environment
In contrast to the people in the West, the East Germans are, in the opinion of sociologist Raj Kollmorgen, of the University of applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz more local and regional oriented. The " reported;Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". The West Germans were more mobile in contrast to the people in the New countries, with a view to the age, the job opportunities and the rural living environment more sedentary.
5. A small part of the economy
In addition, a completely different economic structure to the lower spread of the Corona Virus. The Small size of the economy and regional reference in the fight against the pandemic is an advantage, because people have less overall contact with the other. In contrast to the West, there is less export-oriented firms. Although many companies maintain good contacts to Poland and the Czech Republic, where the Infection rates are also low. Different in the Federal States such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, which are directly connected to "Corona-Hotspots" such as Italy and Austria border.
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