The call for a nationwide abolition of the 2G rule in retail is getting louder and louder. According to the German Retail Association, the four major grocers – Edeka, Rewe, Aldi and the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) – called for an end to the access restrictions that still apply in large parts of the trade in a letter to several top politicians on Monday. This is also remarkable because grocers themselves are not affected by the 2G rule at all.
At the same time, FDP leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner signaled doubts about the current regulation. “Personally, I ask myself whether we really need the very strict access restrictions in retail in the long term. That causes economic damage. And we always have to ask whether the damage is in the right proportion to the additional health benefit,” he told the TV station “Welt”.
In a joint letter to Chancellor Wolfgang Schmidt and other top politicians, the heads of Edeka, Rewe, Aldi and the Schwarz Group explain: “Based on our almost two-year experience with the pandemic, we can say that retailers with the appropriate hygiene concepts (essentially Wearing a mask and keeping your distance) is not a source of infection.” This applies regardless of the traded assortments.
For the dealers concerned, the 2G rule, which only allows access to those who have been vaccinated and who have recovered, is causing a significant drop in sales and earnings, the letter goes on to say. The danger of thousands of closures, especially owner-managed businesses, and the devastating effects on inner cities is obvious. The top managers are therefore urging: “Companies should now be able to receive and serve their customers without further restrictions using the tried and tested hygiene concepts.”
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. This does not apply to shops for daily needs such as supermarkets, drugstores and pharmacies. However, the regulation has already been overturned by courts in several federal states. (dpa)