WhatsApp is postponing its planned changes to data protection, credit card payments are even more secure and tax returns can be filed later. We can also hope for the first easing of lockdowns – maybe. What will change in February.
Is the lockdown ending?
On January 19, the federal and state governments decided To leave Germany in lockdown until February 14th. It is still unclear whether the next summit on February 7th will actually be relaxed – although the demands afterwards will be louder and louder. For example, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) advocates reopening schools, daycare centers and hairdressers “if it is responsible”. Union parliamentary group Vice Georg Nüßlein (CSU) calls for prospects for a definitive end to the lockdown. You shouldn’t strain people any longer. “Tagesspiegel” with an overview of which politicians want the lockdown exit:
The deadline for submitting tax returns will probably be extended
Tax returns processed by tax advisors for 2019 should actually be submitted to the tax office by February 28th (this year the 28th is a Sunday, the deadline would therefore be the following Monday – March 1st). Due to the corona crisis, this year the deadline will very likely be extended to August 31, 2021. This was announced by the financial policy spokesmen of both Groko parties in December 2020 (the corresponding draft law has yet to be passed). Background: Tax advisors have been tied into the bureaucracy of bridging aid for months – submitting tax returns on time would have been a tightrope for many.
Paying by credit card is double checked and even more secure
Since January 15, when shopping online, credit card holders have had to prove in two ways that they really own the card they want to pay with. So far, this rule has applied from an amount of 250 euros. From February 15, the regulation will be tightened: In future, the so-called two-factor authentication will take effect from amounts of 150 euros. The double proof of identity usually runs via an additional app. “tagesschau.de” explains the new rules:
New lower limits apply to nursing staff
In many so-called care-intensive areas in clinics, new guidelines will apply from February 1 on how many staff must be deployed per shift. On the one hand, this is intended to prevent the nursing staff from being overloaded and, on the other hand, to ensure that patients are treated well. In intensive care medicine, for example, a nurse may look after a maximum of two patients during the day shift and a maximum of three patients during the night shift. However, the ordinance of the Ministry of Health provides for an explicit exception, when the lower limits may be violated:
“Such an exception exists, for example, according to § 7 sentence 1 number 2 PpUGV in the case of strong increases in the number of patients, such as epidemics or major damage events.”
During the ongoing pandemic, only a few intensive care nurses are likely to benefit from the new regulation.
WhatsApp is delaying new data protection rules
The WhatsApp news service has postponed its data protection changes planned for February 8th to mid-May. The innovations have recently been harshly criticized. Many users feared that their data – as soon as they had agreed to the changes – would be forwarded on a large scale to the parent company Facebook and processed for advertising purposes. WhatsApp is now rowing back: By May, they want to clear misinformation out of the way, according to a blog entry by the group. However, there was no mention of a revision of the new guidelines.
Annual vignette must be renewed
Even if traveling in times of Corona is rather flat – those who regularly commute between Germany and Austria, Switzerland or Slovenia should remember to change their annual vignette in February. While the “Jahresplackerl” for Austria this year has become 1.40 euros more expensive and now costs 92.50 euros, prices in Switzerland and Slovenia have remained stable. “t-online” with the full price overview:
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