Relaxation in trade, culture and sport: FFP2 mask in public transport

Created: 2022-01-25Updated: 2022-01-25, 5:15 p.m

Pedestrians walk past open shops through the city.

© Thomas Frey/dpa/symbol picture

The judiciary is putting massive pressure on: The country should relax if the limit values ​​allow it.

Kretschmann wants to remain cautious because of Omikron - but is now taking the first steps towards opening up.

Stuttgart/Mannheim – Baden-Württemberg wants to relax the corona rules in shops and at major events this week.

The state government is coming under increasing pressure because the administrative court for the second time within a few days classified the freezing of alert level II with severe restrictions for the unvaccinated as probably illegal.

The country wants to adjust its Corona regulation this week and thus also reinstate the regular tiered system, which should bring some further simplifications.

In return, however, the government is tightening the mask requirement on buses and trains.

There will probably be an obligation to wear FFP2 masks from Friday.

Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) spoke on Tuesday in Stuttgart of a "course of caution" that was necessary in view of the rampant omicron virus variant.

He couldn't give the all-clear.

Although Omicron has a less severe course, it is significantly more contagious.

The danger of overburdening the hospitals and also the medical practices is still there.

Nevertheless, the state, like Bavaria, wants to relax the rules for sports and cultural events - even though the federal and state governments agreed on Monday to stick to the current measures. Unlike the Free State, however, they do not want to allow games with up to 10,000 spectators in the Bundesliga. "We will certainly stay well below the numbers," said the Green. On the other hand, there must be a certain opening, otherwise there will be "gigantic debates" about differences between countries.

In the previously applicable alarm level II, 50 percent of the maximum capacity can be used at events - but a maximum of 500 visitors can come.

The normal alert level, which is likely to apply soon, actually envisages a capacity utilization of up to 50 percent for events and a maximum of 25,000 visitors.

According to the VGH ruling, unvaccinated people can initially go shopping again with a current test.

The judges overturned the 2G retail rule, effective immediately.

For the time being, this means that in addition to those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered, people with a current test (3G) can shop in stores again.

A woman from the district of Ortenau, who runs a stationery shop, had complained.

A spokesman for Kretschmann said that freezing alert level II was only intended as a "temporary solution" until February 1st.

“We are returning to tier logic with slight adjustments.

This also corresponds to the case law of the VGH, which does not call into question the tier system itself.”

For the green-black government in Baden-Württemberg, it is the second setback within a few days.

Only on Friday did the Mannheim judges agree with an unvaccinated student in a similar matter.

In mid-January, Grün-Schwarz retained alarm level II in the Corona Ordinance out of concern for Omikron, thereby overriding the limit values ​​​​for the burden on hospitals by the end of January.

Because the burden on hospitals has decreased - relatively speaking - in the past few weeks, the government actually has to relax the measures a bit.

The VGH also insists on this.

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Kretschmann wants to inform the state parliament about his further course this Wednesday.

The return to normal alert level would also mean, for example, that restaurants would only be 2G and no longer 2G plus.

It is also questionable whether clubs and bars will be allowed to reopen.

The head of government urged the federal government to link the new test strategy to the corona reporting system.

If, in the future, PCR tests are largely dispensed with to detect an infection, the reporting system must also be adapted as a matter of urgency.

"Otherwise we'll lose track of what's happening in the pandemic," warned Kretschmann.

Due to the rapid spread of omicrons, there are bottlenecks in the PCR tests in Germany.

The federal and state governments have therefore decided that PCR tests should in future be concentrated on staff in hospitals, practices and care.

Social Minister Manne Lucha (Greens) considers this change to be responsible.

For the rest of the population, this means that after a positive antigen rapid test, you should do a second rapid test, but it should be from a different provider.

The prerequisite, however, is that you have no symptoms, Lucha restricted.

The change will then also apply to schoolchildren who previously had to do a PCR test after a positive rapid test.

"As of today, that will no longer exist." dpa