Before the top-level talks by the federal and state governments on the further corona strategy this Monday, the economy is pushing for simplifications and uniform nationwide rules. The German Retail Association (HDE), for example, is calling for the 2G access restrictions for retailers to be abolished. Gastronomy and the tourism industry demanded a clear and uniform line for the industry.
In Bavaria and Lower Saxony, the 2G rule, which in large parts of the retail trade only allows access to those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered, has already been lifted, wrote HDE President Josef Sanktjohanser in a letter to Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD). On Friday, the Saarland Higher Administrative Court temporarily suspended the access restrictions to retail stores under the 2G regulation. With regard to exceptions, the court lacked “uniform, objectifiable criteria for the extended scope of the regulation”.
Sanktjohanser emphasized that it was time to put the access restrictions in retail to the test nationwide. “We therefore ask you, in the course of the federal-state votes at the Prime Ministers’ Conference next Monday, to work to lift the strict 2G access restrictions for retailing with goods that are not everyday needs – but at least to simplify them in the form of random checks at the checkout “It says in the letter that is available to the German Press Agency.
Sanktjohanser wrote that the infection figures from Schleswig-Holstein, where the 2G rule applies, and Lower Saxony, where it has been lifted, show that there are “no recognizable 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. In addition, the controls of the 2G restrictions led to increased personnel expenses. Sanktjohanser appealed to Lauterbach to remedy this quickly: “It’s about the survival of thousands of businesses.”
Before the top-level consultations of the federal and state governments, the tourism industry also called for a clear and uniform line. “We have to go back to clear, understandable and comprehensible rules. They are now the order of the day,” said the President of the German Tourism Association (DTV), Reinhard Meyer, of the dpa.
At the last federal-state conference, the nationwide introduction of the 2G-plus regulation in the catering industry was decided. “However, this regulation is applied differently and the federal states regulate themselves whether a test is required for a visit to a restaurant after a booster vaccination,” Meyer stated. There is also inconsistency in tourist overnight stays. “For the tourism industry, which is already having to bear the brunt of the crisis, this confusion means uncertainty among guests and hosts.” The countries would have to agree on a uniform handle.
Retailers are also in favor of suspending delivery restrictions. “The night-time bans for trucks entering many cities prevent deliveries to retail branches,” said HDE general manager Stefan Genth of the editorial network Germany (RND/Saturday). He also called for the Sunday driving ban for trucks to be lifted so that traffic could be planned more flexibly and supply chains relieved. (dpa)