Corona rules: 2G plans are met with skepticism in affected industries | hessenschau.de

Access only for vaccinated and recovered customers? Hessen wants to enable some industries to choose the 2G model. Enthusiasm is not only limited in the hospitality industry.

The approval of the so-called 2G model planned by Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) has met with skepticism from many of the providers concerned. Both the Hessian hospitality industry and the hairdressing trade accused the state government at the weekend of shifting the debate about vaccination quotas and vaccination readiness to the companies.

“Politics cannot decide, so it is passed on to the economy via the house rules”, said René Hain, managing director of the state guild association of the hairdressing trade Hessen, the news agency dpa. The Hessian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also very cautious about the plans.

Services of general interest with 3G

Bouffier had announced that the state government’s Corona cabinet will probably allow the Corona 2G model for Hessian restaurateurs, organizers and hairdressers in its next meeting on Tuesday. The state’s new Corona regulation is therefore intended to give private providers the option of only allowing people who have been vaccinated and recovered (2G) access to their rooms.

Organizers, hosts and hairdressers should then be able to decide for themselves whether they only let in vaccinated and recovered people, who are then largely exempt from the corona restrictions, said a government spokesman. In public services such as when visiting authorities and in public transport, however, the 3G model remains, which also includes those who tested negative. The current Hessian corona regulation is limited to September 16.

Are customers leaving?

Whether the member companies will use the model depends on the individual situation, said Hain. Hairdressers, 90 percent of whom are regular customers who have been vaccinated twice, could perhaps benefit from the elimination of the corona restrictions, because they are primarily concerned with the distance rule because it currently means that significantly fewer customers can be served than usual.

If the distance rule falls thanks to the 2G model, that could be a competitive advantage, said Hain. With a lower proportion of vaccinated regular customers, on the other hand, there is the risk that too many customers will migrate to the competition and the salons will spoil their business with 2G. Hardly anyone will make their vaccination decision dependent on whether they can make an appointment with the hairdresser – especially if the 2G model does not apply across the board.

Dehoga: Then also more freedom

The hospitality industry believes that “a fundamental debate will be carried to the threshold of the restaurant door,” said Julius Wagner, General Manager of the Dehoga trade association in Hesse. “After months, which were already marked by unfortunate discussions with many guests about the mask requirement, the recording of contact data, distance regulations & Co., this is now a core debate from the middle of society. After all, the question here is whether or not to get vaccinated not, all at once in the room. “

From Wagner’s point of view, whether the possible 2G model is used or not depends largely on the freedoms granted in return. “At least the distance regulations would have to be dropped without ifs and buts, including the mask requirement.” And that must also be possible for clubs and discos in the dance industry.

Election tactics instead of a solution?

The considerations are also met with skepticism from the organizers. Many companies were badly shaken by the corona measures, the aid programs had not brought the affected sub-sectors what they had hoped for for a long time, and many complaints were made about unequal treatment, said Wolfgang Weyand, spokesman for the creative industries cluster in Hesse. “The electoral tactical discussion of whether to switch from 3G to 2G is not the universal solution.”

“The advance makes the Hessian economy rather at a loss,” explained Robert Lippmann, managing director of the Hessian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Many companies would then be faced with a difficult decision. “Of course, everyone wants to ensure the greatest possible security. But hardly anyone wants to exclude customers who are verifiably healthy or have not been vaccinated for various reasons.” This ultimately also included pregnant women, previously ill and other groups.

Expert: Send a clear message to those who oppose vaccination

In order to defuse potential conflicts due to the corona access rules, uniform legal requirements are necessary from the point of view of experts. “It needs a clear, clear norm,” said the Marburg social psychologist Ulrich Wagner. The 2G rule would worsen the situation of those who oppose vaccination and make it easier for those in favor – so there is great potential for conflict. Politicians shouldn’t be fooling around, also to prevent mistrust and to send the message to opponents of vaccinations: “You are the minority here.”