Corona tightening of the rules in Bavaria: what is changing in hardware stores?

The intensive care bed occupancy with corona patients in Bavaria jumped a critical limit.

The measures have been tightened, but are there any effects on DIY store customers?

Munich - The new corona infections in Bavaria are skyrocketing.

The Robert Koch Institute registered more than 6,000 cases in Bavaria, the incidence rose to 316.2 (as of November 8).

The number of Covid * patients being treated in the intensive care unit rose to over 600. The corona traffic light * jumped to red, so that the Bavarian state government tightened some corona measures.

In Bavaria, only those who have been vaccinated, recovered and people with a negative PCR test * have access to inns and events in closed rooms.

In addition, an FFP2 mask must generally be worn again.

But do the measures also apply to customers of Hornbach, Bauhaus * and Co.?

Hardware stores during the corona pandemic: which rules apply?

The hardware store giants are part of the trade that is listed in the Bavarian Infection Protection Ordinance.

While the 2G rule now applies to some areas of public life, DIY stores and supermarkets are excluded from this rule.

The hardware store chains positioned themselves clearly in October: "At present, BAUHAUS is not aiming to use the 3G or 2G option as an additional access control for the nationwide specialist centers," the

quotes 

 a statement.

As a result, competitor Hornbach is not planning any measures, at least for the time being: "Hornbach does not intend to introduce its own regulations that go beyond the applicable Corona regulations," the company says.

2G and 3G rule: Hesse and Lower Saxony created the legal basis

In Hesse and Lower Saxony, the legal basis for access is based on the 2G and 3G rule. The trade association (HDE) spoke out in favor of a Germany-wide 2G option model in retail based on the Hessian model. "It is good when retailers have the option of how they want to deal with the topic of 2G or 3G as a prerequisite for access to their stores," said CEO Stefan Genth to the 

in October. "It is important that this remains voluntary, because a 2G or 3G obligation when shopping would not be feasible in practice, especially for shops with high customer frequency, such as food or clothing." 

However, implementation in Bavaria currently seems unrealistic.

Similar to supermarkets and discounters, Obi, Toom and Co. are not required to provide evidence at the entrance.

The customers still have to comply with Corona rules: the hardware stores require FFP2 masks, distance and hygiene rules.

Hardware stores suffer from delivery bottlenecks

Despite the pre-Christmas business, the hardware store chains are worried about the coming weeks. Not only is the Corona crisis troubling them, delivery bottlenecks could also cause frustration in front of the shelves. "There will definitely be supply bottlenecks," says a manager of the

newspaper with regard to lamps and lights. In the worst case, customers could stand in front of empty shelves. The reason for the delivery bottlenecks: As in the automotive industry, chips and circuit boards are currently in short supply, so that the production of electrical goods comes to a standstill.

The ifo Institute also supported this assessment.

According to a survey, 99 percent of DIY stores reported delivery problems.

There is also a lack of aluminum, copper, glass wool, insulation and steel.