In the fight against the spread of the coronavirus, contacts in private and public life are being further restricted. By December 28 at the latest, discos will be closed all over Germany, major national events will take place in front of empty stands, as agreed by the federal and state governments. For private meetings, an upper limit of ten people should generally apply – including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. Children under 14 years of age are excluded. But not all countries want to wait until after Christmas to intensify the pandemic fight. The rules in detail:
BERLIN: In the capital, the contact restrictions for vaccinated and convalescent people will apply from December 28th, as agreed. Cultural or sporting events are allowed under strict hygiene conditions and with reduced upper limits. Clubs are allowed to open further, but dancing is prohibited.
BRANDENBURG: Top ten people at private meetings – from Monday this also applies to those vaccinated and recovered from Brandenburg. Other tightenings remain in force. This includes the nightly exit restriction for unvaccinated people in hotspot regions. For outdoor demos, there is an upper limit of 1000 participants plus a mask requirement and minimum distance. Gatherings are forbidden on New Year’s Eve, no firecrackers apply to busy places.
BREMEN: In the smallest federal state, clubs and discos are closed from Christmas Eve, dance events are prohibited. 2G applies in retail and gastronomy, in culture and sport. The contact restrictions for the unvaccinated remain – a household can only meet two other people from other households. From December 28th, as in the other federal states, private meetings for everyone will be limited to up to ten people.
HAMBURG: In the Hanseatic city, all measures of the containment ordinance should be on December 24th. come into force, including the contact limit for vaccinated and convalescents to ten people. In addition, there is a curfew for restaurants from 11 p.m. Restaurants, bars and pubs are only allowed to stay open on New Year’s Eve until 1.00 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Standing tables in the catering industry are no longer allowed to be used. There is also a ban on dancing, which in fact amounts to closing clubs and discos.
HESSEN: From December 28th, only groups of a maximum of ten people are allowed to meet in public. If there are unvaccinated people, the even stricter rules apply (one household plus a maximum of two people from another household). In the private sector, however, Hesse still has an urgent recommendation for these contact restrictions. The operation of dance halls is prohibited nationwide. The upper limit for all indoor or outdoor events in Hessen is 250 participants from Tuesday.
MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN: In the northeast, the tightened contact restrictions apply from Christmas Eve (Friday). Clubs and discos have long been closed. On December 27th, cinemas, theaters, museums, swimming pools and other leisure facilities across the country will also have to close because the state’s own Corona traffic light has been red for several days.
LOWER SAXONY: The tightened contact restrictions decided by the federal and state governments will take effect in Lower Saxony on December 27th. However, the country had already imposed a so-called Christmas rest, which should last at least until January 15. Clubs have to close on Christmas Eve, events with more than 500 people are prohibited. A maximum of 25 vaccinated or recovered people are allowed to meet at Christmas – including children. For unvaccinated people, the rules are stricter: a household can only meet two people from another household.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: In western Germany, the contact restrictions for immunized people will also come into force on December 28th. There is no limit to a certain number of households, children up to and including 13 years are not counted. The MPK decision to ban spectators at major events is adopted one-to-one for NRW. In addition, mask requirements and the 2Gplus rule for the leisure sector are being expanded.
RHINELAND-PALATINATE: Empty spectator stands have been mandatory in Rhineland-Palatinate since Thursday for national sports, cultural and other major events. From Tuesday, the more extensive contact restrictions in the private sector will also apply.
SAARLAND: In the smallest land area, the contact restrictions for recovered and vaccinated people will also be implemented on December 28th. As early as Christmas, the rule in Saarland applies that unvaccinated or non-recovered people can come together with people from their own household and a maximum of two people from another household. So far, a maximum of one person from another household has been allowed to join. Universities must enable students to participate in courses in digital form if they cannot provide proof of 2G (vaccinated or recovered).
SAXONY: The Free State has adjusted its emergency ordinance. In Saxony, however, due to the high number of infections, contact restrictions have been in place since November 19, as other countries are now introducing. On December 28th, some tightenings will come into force, including an FFP2 mask requirement in closed public facilities and for body-friendly services. A maximum of 20 people with 3G evidence are allowed to attend funerals. The nocturnal curfew, which has existed since November for particularly affected corona hotspots, will be continued.
SACHSEN-ANHALT: Since Thursday (December 23rd) clubs and discos are no longer allowed to open in Saxony-Anhalt. Because the state parliament has determined the epidemic situation, the districts and independent cities have the opportunity to impose further measures. For vaccinated and convalescent people in Saxony-Anhalt, the recommendation initially not to meet more than ten people. Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU), however, did not rule out taking further measures in the coming days.
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN: Despite the relatively low number of corona infections, the contact restrictions agreed in the federal-state group will also apply in the north of the republic from December 28th. There are also plans to significantly reduce the possible capacities of clubs and discos under the 2G-plus rules that are already in force, for which a negative corona test must be presented in addition to proof of vaccination or convalescence.
THURINGIA: The Erfurt state government is implementing the federal-state resolutions on December 28th. However, only children up to the age of twelve are not included in the contact restrictions. Clubs and discos have been closed in Thuringia for a long time. Folk festivals, Christmas markets and trade fairs are also prohibited. There will be no classes at the Thuringian schools on the first two days after the holidays (3rd / 4th January). Distance classes should then take place until January 14th.
BAVARIA and BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG: In the two southern countries, decisions on further contact restrictions were initially pending on Thursday afternoon. But Bavaria had already announced that it would implement the federal-state resolution on December 28th. (dpa)