Almost half of consumers in Germany are in favor of abolishing the 2G regulation in retail. In a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, 49 percent of those questioned stated that they would support a 3G regulation for their state instead, so that in addition to those who had been vaccinated and those who had recovered, those who had been tested would also have access to non-grocery stores. Around 38 percent rejected such a relaxation of the corona requirements.
The federal and state governments had decided on the 2G rule for large parts of the retail trade in view of the increasing corona incidence figures at the beginning of December last year. Shops for daily needs such as supermarkets, drugstores and pharmacies were excluded.
However, the regulation has since been overturned by courts in several countries, resulting in a patchwork of different access rules. The 2G rule still applies in most federal states. However, it was abolished in Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saarland.
The German Retail Association (HDE) has been calling for the 2G rule to be lifted for some time. Just a few days ago, HDE President Josef Sanktjohanser wrote in a letter to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) that a comparison between countries with and without 2G regulations shows that there are “no discernible effects” of the access restrictions in retail on the infection process. The HDE President complained that the effects of 2G on the trade concerned were great. The non-food trade is suffering from a drop in sales of up to 30 percent. Thousands of businesses are at risk.
However, in view of the rapid increase in the number of infections, the federal and state governments stuck to the current measures during their most recent consultations last Monday. (dpa)