In the dispute over retail closures in the first corona wave in 2020, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has not yet announced a verdict on Thursday. After an oral hearing lasting almost four hours, the 13th Senate informed the plaintiff Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof that a decision would only be made in writing after further consultation at a later date. Representatives of the NRW Ministry of Health and the department store chain based in Essen had previously argued about the assessment of the time in spring 2020.
The country had shut down public life with the Corona Protection Ordinance to contain the pandemic. In March and April 2020, numerous companies had to close. There were exceptions for the retail trade with everyday products such as groceries and sales areas with less than 800 square meters. The department store group then attacked the country’s Corona Protection Ordinance because it saw the principle of equal treatment violated in retail. In the event of success before the OVG, the company wants to claim damages under civil law. (dpa)