Hessen: Corona measures cause confusion | State politics

• fromKathrin Rosendorff

  –

  conclude

–

It is not only in the catering industry that there is uncertainty about which procedure should be implemented. And many find the lead time too short.

Hesse – “We are a café operator, public order office and police in one.” This is how Nadia Boukatcha, operations manager at Café Wacker, describes the tasks that many in the catering business have had to cope with since the beginning of the corona pandemic *. So far, she has always felt well informed about the latest rules that she has to enforce through her operation.

The fact that the flow of information is not going so well everywhere is shown on Tuesday (November 9th, 2021) by the confusion that initially prevailed in parts of the catering trade, but also in retail, in the fitness studios or the hairdressing salons. It is a day after Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) and Health Minister Kai Klose (Greens) presented the tightened corona protective measures. These will already apply from this Thursday (11.11.2021), as there are more and more infections, especially more corona patients in intensive care units.

Corona in Hessen: Gastronomy expresses incomprehension about new rules

James Ardinast, board member of the Frankfurt Gastronomy Initiative (IGF), observes a growing lack of understanding among restaurateurs: “Many cannot understand why their guests have to submit a PCR test, but the antigen test is sufficient for the unvaccinated employees.” Thi Nguyen, who runs a restaurant in Bockenheim, simply anticipated this uncertainty. He switched his business to the 2G rule a month ago. “Eating out has something to do with pleasure, and when people have to pay for a test in addition to the cost of it, it doesn’t make sense,” he explains. Nguyen is certain that the guests who have not recovered or have not been vaccinated would have stayed away anyway. “And with the PCR test, the whole thing is now even more expensive.”

While some restaurateurs adjust measures themselves, others tend to go along passively. “We swim with you and stick to the rules,” says a restaurateur who prefers to remain anonymous. Another, who does not want to give her name either, would like to abolish all measures. Most of the regular guests are vaccinated anyway, according to the restaurateur.

Even in sports facilities, a quick test at the access control will no longer be enough from Thursday. Jörg Hidding, managing director of the Amiga women’s fitness club in Frankfurt, describes the new regulations as “mandatory vaccination through the back door”. And an indictment that they would first have to search the Internet to find out what exactly the new rules are. During the pandemic, he lost half of his members, so he had to close his second studio in Bockenheim. But even since the 3G rules in force in the Rödelheim fitness studio, some women have suspended their contracts. “That means no premium income.” He could not say whether this would increase with the compulsory PCR test. “Most of the members are vaccinated, says Amiga studio manager Jennifer Adam. “It is now more of a challenge to organize the tests for employees and trainers.” She also emphasizes that the employees have so far only voluntarily informed the studio whether they have been vaccinated or recovered.

Corona in Hessen: trade complains about the short lead time of the new rules

In retail, on the other hand, it is all about the introduction of mandatory tests for staff. Joachim Stoll, Vice President of the trade association Hessen-Süd, complains “once again a very short lead time to prepare for this in large organizations”. How many of the estimated 25,000 employees in the greater Frankfurt area would now have to be tested with rapid tests twice a week, they could not estimate. After all, vaccinated and recovered employees are exempt from the obligation to test, but so far they have not been allowed to query the vaccination status. That is a legal question, so Stoll. In general, the trade association welcomes the fact that the government is taking measures to prevent a further lockdown. But Stoll does not find it good that employers are now required to test. “It would be better if the employees were tested in test centers. Because these tests by professionals are more accurate than when private individuals do it. ”There is also a shift from state-paid tests to tests paid for by employers.

Thomas Trapp, member of the board of the state association of hairdressers in Hesse, also had to answer many questions on Tuesday. After the Prime Minister’s press conference, some media reported that customers now need a PCR test for visiting the hairdresser. “When visiting the hairdresser, a quick test is still sufficient for people who have not been vaccinated or recovered,” explains Trapp. Here, too, the change only affects the testing of the staff. (Kathrin Rosendorff)

–