Rest days before Easter: Do employees have a day off on Maundy Thursday?

According to Chancellor Merkel, Maundy Thursday 2021 should be treated like a public holiday.

Will there be millions of workers off work that day?

In view of the rapidly growing number of corona infections, the federal and state governments want to use the Easter holidays to drastically reduce contacts and thus master the 3rd wave.

For this purpose, at the federal-state meeting on March 22nd * both

Maundy Thursday (April 1st)

and

Easter Saturday (April 3rd)

2021 were

declared

as

days of rest

, with extensive contact restrictions and a ban on gathering.

So are workers off work on these days?

Rest days are considered public holidays: Maundy Thursday 2021 free of work?

According to the Chancellor, the rest days should be

treated in the

same way as Sundays and public holidays

.

The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder also announced after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday: "The federal government is still providing the legal basis for both Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday to be treated as a Sunday and a public holiday," confirmed Söder.

This means

that most companies will be closed on Maundy Thursday

, unless they have a special permit, such as petrol stations.

Just as certain companies can work on Sundays and public holidays, according to the Chancellor it should also be regulated on the 'rest days', according to a report by the German Press Agency (dpa).

It is therefore clear: If Angela Merkel implements her announcement together with the federal states, then millions of employees in Germany will have a

day off

on

Maundy Thursday

.

However, this must first be anchored in the relevant state law.

Also read:

Bridging days 2021: Vacation twice as long possible - this is how you have to plan.

Who can work on rest days?

There are of course exceptions, because according to the

Working Hours Act

(ArbZG, Section 10), work may be carried out in certain areas on Sundays and public holidays.

These include, for example:

• Police and authorities,

• Emergency services,

• Hospital staff,

• Fire Department,

• Restaurant and hotel staff,

• Bakeries and pastry shops,

• Press,

• Societies,

• Theater and film screenings,

• Churches,

• Energy-and water supply,

• Agriculture

• and much more

(as) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Also read:

Do hairdressers have to close again before Easter?

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