Relaxation of contact restrictions: the federal and state governments want to overturn the corona rule

Created: 02/16/2022, 05:47

By: Stephanie Munk

Advising on the Corona situation: Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD, center), Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU, 2nd from left) and Berlin's Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD, 2nd from right).

© John Macdougall/dpa

Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered will soon be able to meet again in larger groups: the current contact restrictions are to be relaxed at the Corona summit on Wednesday.

Berlin – Get out of the corona corset: the federal and state governments will advise on Wednesday from 11.30 a.m. via video link about easing the current corona restrictions.

In the hope that the number of infections will fall, most of the current corona rules are to be gradually phased out - even Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is optimistic that Germany is over the hill when it comes to corona.

The plan is to relax the corona protection measures in three stages.

As a first step, there should be more freedom in private meetings.

Currently the following applies: A maximum of ten people are allowed in private gatherings, they must be vaccinated against the corona virus* or have recovered.

Stricter contact restrictions apply to the unvaccinated.

You are only allowed to meet two other people outside of your own household at the same time.

Contact restrictions: Corona summit wants to decide on new rule

The draft resolution for the federal-state summit on Wednesday* provides that 20 vaccinated or recovered people may meet privately in the future.

A date as of when this should apply is not given.

The letter is available on

*.

As one of the first easing steps, the new rule should be implemented as soon as possible.

The unvaccinated are exempt from the easing of contact restrictions.

They can only hope to meet in larger groups from March 20th: According to the draft resolution, all corona protection measures apart from the obligation to wear a mask should then be eliminated.

Bavaria has already pushed ahead on Tuesday, February 15: There, contact restrictions for vaccinated and recovered people will be completely eliminated from Thursday*.

Other federal states have also announced rapid easing of contact restrictions.

Corona summit: not only contact restrictions on the agenda

There are other items on the agenda at the prime ministers' conference on Wednesday.

The restrictions on retail, gastronomy, hotels and events are also to be relaxed.

The home office obligation is also to be phased out.

The corona protection measures are limited to March 19 in the Infection Protection Act.

However, the Bundestag could extend the validity once by three months.

Other items on the agenda at the Prime Minister's Conference are the introduction of compulsory vaccination* for hospital and nursing staff, there should be more leeway here.

The country heads also want to advise on the recovered status, the reduction of which had recently caused some excitement.