The number of cases is rising again, the federal government is expecting a fourth corona wave in autumn.
Restrictions possible again - with an impact on supermarkets.
Berlin - According to a draft law by the Federal Ministry of Health, the federal government is apparently planning to tighten the relaxed corona measures again.
This should already happen at the end of the summer vacation.
To put it into perspective: Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are the last two federal states to end their school-free time on Monday, September 13th.
According to the draft, there should not be a hard lockdown in Germany.
But German citizens should only be able to cope with their everyday lives with official evidence and tests.
This would also affect shopping in DIY stores, drug stores or supermarkets.
New corona rules possible in autumn 2022: Official evidence may be required for shopping
It is under discussion that mask requirements and distance rules in retail, in closed rooms as well as in local and long-distance traffic should apply until spring 2022.
This is regulated by law.
Whether visiting the hairdresser, cinema or restaurant - from now on every German citizen would need either complete proof of a complete vaccination, a health certificate or a negative antigen rapid test.
This can come from the pharmacy, the doctor or the test center.
These so-called citizen tests will apparently also be chargeable from mid-October.
This goes back to a proposal by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Free rapid tests should only be offered to people who cannot be vaccinated, for pregnant women and for those under the age of eighteen.
Proof and test obligation for shopping: Long waiting times guaranteed - if manual checks are carried out
Due to the mandatory proof and test obligation, as it currently stands for shopping in the room, longer waiting times in front of shops such as Aldi or Edeka seem to be guaranteed.
It is still unclear how the controls will be carried out.
In the case of a manual check, employees of the respective store would have to check the documents at the entrance.
Long waiting times and queues would be inevitable.
As early as the spring, the retail sector identified long queues in front of the shops as a negative economic factor.
The flight authority "International Air Transport Association" (IATA) has already warned against manual checks of the various certificates in order to avoid long waiting times.
Standard in other European countries: Other countries have long been relying on digital control of EU health certificates
Such restrictions or controls, as the federal government may be aiming for in autumn, are already standard in other countries of the European Union (EU).
However, the controls do not take place manually at the entrance, but digitally.
Apps and machines that can read out EU health certificates are specially developed for this purpose.
This option is currently used by restaurateurs, for example.
The entrepreneurs and shop owners have to download special, free programs to common smartphone devices with an active camera.
Vaccination certificates, proof of recovery with QR code and digital test certificates can be checked for their validity.
When the screen lights up green, a guest is allowed to enter the restaurant.
If, on the other hand, the screen lights up red, it is clear that the evidence presented is invalid.
This digital solution would save many operators a huge amount of bureaucratic effort.
In Germany, for example, restaurants nationwide have had to record the contact details of their guests.
A test and verification obligation, however, exists predominantly only for the hotel industry.
Always have vaccination and test documents with you: Official certificates could be more important than ever
It is generally recommended that vaccination, convalescence or test documents are always to hand.
Documents should be carried in clear envelopes, several copies of the vaccination certificates are recommended.
It is also a good idea to photograph the relevant documents with the smartphone in order to be able to save the photos on the mobile phone.
WhatsApp wants to score with photos or a new function - even if the disadvantages and risks are obvious.
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