Germany is closing down: From today, stricter corona rules apply. How many more people can you meet? What stays open Where do curfews apply? And what do you hope for from all of this?
How many people can I meet from today?
Two households with a maximum of five people are still allowed. Children up to 14 years are not counted. But: The federal states regulate this in detail in their respective Corona ordinances – there may be deviations. Be like that in Berlin only children up to the age of twelve are exempt from the contact restrictions.
The originally relaxed regulation for the Christmas days has been withdrawn. Nevertheless there is a special family rule. From December 24th to 26th, meetings with four other people who do not belong to your own household are allowed. In the end, more than two households can come together and the five-person limit could also be exceeded in such a case. Children up to 14 years are not counted here either.
Example 1: Four siblings who all live elsewhere could visit their parents, without a partner, but with children up to 14.
Example 2: Two siblings each with a partner and possible children visit their parents.
Example 3: A brother lives alone and is a host. His parents could visit him and two other siblings without a partner. Meetings with friends in small groups are also possible.
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And who controls it?
Probably nobody really. The state has little control. Article 13 of the Basic Law states: “The home is inviolable”. This means that the hurdles for controls are extremely high. The interior minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Roger Lewentz, has announced, for example, that the police will only control behavior in the apartments in exceptional cases – for example when there is noise. NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet also assured that there would be no random checks of private apartments. Politicians are calling for personal responsibility here.
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Where have there been curfews or exit restrictions so far?
In Bayern Exit restrictions apply throughout the country during the day. You can only leave the apartment with good reason. These are, for example: the way to work or to the doctor, sports, shopping and the still permitted meetings with another household – but this can be a maximum of five people in total. In addition, a Night curfew between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.. Staying in public space is then only permitted for a very few valid reasons. According to the cabinet decision, these are emergencies or medically urgent treatments, the way to work, exercising custody and access rights, looking after people in need of support, accompanying the dying or going for a walk. A violation of the nationwide curfew will result in a minimum fine of 500 euros.
In Saxony Exit restrictions have been in effect all day since Monday. Leaving the house is only possible for compelling reasons – for work, shopping, visiting the doctor or for exercise in the open air within a 15-kilometer radius. From an incidence value of 200 on five days, an extended exit restriction applies in the affected district or the affected urban district between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Leaving the apartment is then only permitted for very few reasons – for example for work, delivery traffic or care.
In Hessen Since Friday night exit restrictions between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. have been in effect in counties or urban districts with an incidence of more than 200 on three days in a row. Leaving your own home during this time is only permitted for important reasons.
In Baden-Wuerttemberg Exit restrictions apply since Saturday between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Leaving the apartment is only allowed for valid reasons. In Berlin there should be exit restrictions from today during the day and stricter exit restrictions between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. People are only allowed to leave their homes for a reason such as shopping, visiting the doctor, working or doing sports. In Brandenburg the exit restriction applies from 10 p.m. In Thuringia Leaving the apartment or accommodation is prohibited from today between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. without good cause.
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Where else can I shop?
The grocery stores, weekly markets, beverage markets, health food stores and wholesalers remain open. Pick-up and delivery services, baby stores, pharmacies, medical supply stores, drug stores, banks and savings banks, post offices, dry cleaners and laundromats will also remain open. Newspaper sales, pet supplies, animal feed markets, opticians and hearing aid acousticians do not have to close either. Petrol stations, car workshops and bicycle workshops continue to offer their services. And: the sale of Christmas trees remains possible.
The retail sector continues to fight to ensure that goods ordered on the Internet can be handed over in stores. Electronics chains, hardware stores or even bookstores could continue to offer their goods during the Christmas business.
The service companies in the field of personal care such as hairdressing salons, cosmetic studios, massage practices, tattoo studios and similar businesses have to close. Medically necessary treatments, for example physiotherapy, occupational therapy and logotherapy as well as podiatry / foot care, are still possible.
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What about the schools?
Schools are closed from today – or there is no longer an obligation to be present. Emergency support is ensured. The regulations should also apply to kindergartens. In detail, however, the rules differ from state to state.
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Is there help for parents who now have a care problem?
Parents should “create additional opportunities” to take paid leave. The federal and state governments have agreed. What this should look like in practice was initially unclear on Monday. The Ministry of Labor claims to be working on the fastest possible solution. The government also referred to an already applicable compensation scheme: Parents (of children up to 12 years of age) who are absent from work because the health department has quarantined their offspring or because schools and daycare centers have been officially closed can receive 67 percent of the net income received as compensation from the state.
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What are the consequences of the lockdown for all other employees?
Employers should check whether companies can either be closed during company holidays or whether generous home office solutions can be offered. Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey has called on employers to support employees with children. “The massive restrictions that have been decided will again demand a lot from working parents,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
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What about the restaurants and pubs?
Restaurants, cafes and pubs will remain closed. However, it is still possible to have food delivered. Alcoholic beverages may no longer be consumed in public spaces – including mulled wine.
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What about the church services?
Worship services in churches, synagogues and mosques as well as meetings of other religious communities are permitted with restrictions. That means: 1.5 meters away, no singing, mask requirement and mandatory registration. The federal states define the rules in detail. Overall, however, concerns are growing. Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer advises against going to church at Christmas. Everyone has to reduce contacts, Kretschmer said MDR: “That is bitter for many people. But we do it for our next of kin, we want to protect them.” Chancellery chief Helge Braun suggests hybrid church services. A part of the congregation sits on site in the church, another part follows the service via video stream. In Bavaria, the planned curfew for Christmas Eve from 9 p.m. will also have consequences for church services. So far it was said that visitors to Christmas masses should be exempt from this. “There is a curfew for New Year’s Eve and also for Christmas. And it applies to everyone,” said Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder. There will be no special regulation, not even for families and the church.
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Are there also new rules for protecting older people?
The staff in retirement and care facilities should be tested several times a week. If possible, corresponding tests should also be carried out for mobile care services. In regions with a high number of cases, visitors to homes should have to present current negative corona tests. However, patient advocates doubt the implementation. “There is no shortage of rapid tests in Germany – but there is a lack of people who carry out such tests,” said Eugen Brysch, director of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, the AFP news agency. For this problem, which has been known for months, the federal and state governments have not found a solution even with their resolutions for a hard lockdown. The test regulation for relatives of people in need of care is also “unrealistic”, criticized Brysch. If rapid antigen tests were not carried out directly before admission to a nursing home, this would practically amount to a “ban on entry”.
Since Tuesday, people aged 60 and over and people with certain chronic diseases have been able to get three FFP2 masks for free in the pharmacy. In order to get the masks, you need an identity card or self-report that you belong to the risk group.
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Are you still allowed to travel?
Yes, but there is an appeal to refrain from all non-essential trips by January 10th. In fact, travel is hardly practicable, especially on Christmas days, as strict exit restrictions and a quarantine obligation apply in many countries after entry. In addition, there is often a quarantine when returning to Germany.
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Will the measures be enough?
Hard to say. Experts point out that it basically depends on how the specifications are implemented and supported by people. “Nobody will be able to answer this question seriously,” said Max Geraedts, Head of the Institute for Health Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Marburg: “The experience with the first lockdown in Germany suggests a positive effect, while experiences from abroad sometimes have none show resounding success. ” Hajo Zeeb from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, hopes that the increase will stop by Christmas. In the best case scenario, on January 10th, there would be a significant downward trend for a few days. According to the chief virologist at the University of Heidelberg, Hans-Georg Kräusslich, it will, as always, only be possible to say in about two weeks how successful the measures have been.
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What’s next?
The corona situation is “more serious than ever in this pandemic,” says the President of the Robert Koch Institute Lothar Wieler. Last Friday, the highs of 29,875 reported new infections and 598 deaths were reached. The seven-day incidence was last at more than 170. The federal and state governments are aiming for the target of 50. “The aim is still to make contact tracking possible again,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel after the deliberations on Sunday. The next meeting with the country leaders will take place on January 5th – then it will also become clear whether the measures will be extended, tightened or – currently rather unlikely – even relaxed.
Source: dpa
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