Many people have got used to the automatism in the past few weeks: From a seven-day incidence of more than 100, the nationwide Corona emergency brake applies with far-reaching contact bans, curfews and access restrictions for shops.
In the meantime, however, the incidences are falling significantly, in six federal states they are even below the magical limit of 50.
Corinna Budras
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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Julia Löhr
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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No wonder that many citizens, after looking at the figures from the Robert Koch Institute every day, are now hoping for easing steps that will start automatically as well. The only problem is: They are not laid down in the law. Below the 100, the statutory ordinances at the state level apply again, as they were before the recent tightening of the Infection Protection Act. With the numbers falling, citizens can get back in the mood for the old days: the patchwork quilt is returning.
The full extent of the "opening discussion orgies" that Merkel denounced last year is again difficult to grasp - especially since Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) recently set a new target of "under 20" for the summer, and thus direct criticism reaped from their own party.
"I urge the Federal Minister of Health not to constantly demand lower incidence values, which are also not in the law," criticized Spahn's party colleague Friedrich Merz on Wednesday in the Westfalenpost published in Hagen.
Each federal state decides for itself
According to the current state of affairs, only a few uniform stakes can be hammered in: During Whitsun, outdoor catering opened again for the first time in many regions; So far, however, in many places you can only sit on a rain-damp beer garden bench with a negative test, as a fully vaccinated person or as a convalescent person. But even when it comes to the question of when the doors to the interior will be opened again, each federal state decides itself in the old Corona tradition: In Berlin, where the incidence is just over 35, a current step-by-step plan provides that on June 18 too to open the interiors of pubs and bars.
Whether something will happen before that is open: The scheduled meeting of the Berlin Senate should not take place until the end of next week according to the current status. Then the contact restrictions should only be relaxed. In Saxony, on the other hand, indoor catering opens at an incidence of 50, and a test is only required there for outdoor catering if more than one household is at the table.
Saxony-Anhalt is particularly generous: there, indoor catering can open again at an incidence of less than 100.
It becomes even more generous if the number falls below 50, and events in the outdoor area are then possible with up to 300 guests.
Inside, there may be a maximum of 200 guests if no more than half of the seats are occupied.
Hessen, on the other hand, only recommends between 50 and 100 tests for retailers, while they are still mandatory elsewhere.
“Light at the end of the tunnel” for companies
The companies affected are happy about the first steps in opening, but they are still a long way from normal business operations. The hotel and restaurant association Dehoga sees “light at the end of the tunnel”. Outdoor catering is possible again in all federal states, tourist overnight stays in almost all of them. “Despite the April weather in May, the response from the guests is good,” reports Managing Director Ingrid Hartges.
Different rules in the individual federal states are basically okay for them. “However, it doesn't make sense if North Rhine-Westphalia has a distance requirement of two meters, whereas in the rest of Germany it is only 1.50 meters. In addition, the question arises whether testing is necessary in outdoor catering with low incidence values, especially if only one household is sitting at the table. ”With a view to travel in summer, Hartges would like the testing to be mandatory and the duration of the tests be uniformly regulated nationwide.
The frustration in retail is greater: "Shopping with mandatory testing means that retailers lose half of their sales compared to pre-Corona times," says Stefan Genth, Managing Director of the HDE trade association. The same applies to purchases that require an appointment. "This is not economical for many retailers." He refers to studies also by the Robert Koch Institute, according to which the risk of infection in retail is low. “It must be possible to open all shops without a test requirement and without making an appointment.” In his view, however, it is still too early to abolish the mask requirement, as discussed in Lower Saxony last week.
In schools, the return to regular teaching depends less on the incidence than on whether the responsible school authorities are able to organize this before the school holidays. The interim family minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is calling for classroom teaching, but Berlin's governing mayor Michael Müller pointed out that there was still a lot to be organized for this. The Berlin Senator for Education Sandra Scheeres (SPD) considers normal teaching to be an “unnecessary and avoidable risk”, which could possibly reduce further easing for the general population. Other federal states see it differently and return to face-to-face classes before the holidays.
The Infection Protection Act cannot prevent this patchwork quilt, because the legal regulations only stipulate the mechanism according to which restrictions can be used - but not when exactly they can be withdrawn again. Lawyers have long been calling for a corresponding addition, but politicians have not yet been able to agree on a uniform opening plan. (Always stay flexible, page 18.)