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Berlin (dpa) - Germany faces further weeks of partial lockdown in the corona pandemic - but with easing over Christmas.
Before that, however, contact restrictions and other measures will even be tightened again in order to reduce the risk of infection during the holidays as much as possible.
This becomes apparent before today's deliberations by the federal and state governments on how to proceed in the pandemic.
To this end, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Prime Ministers of the federal states join forces in a video conference.
Whether the easing will also apply on New Year's Eve is still open.
It is also unclear whether restaurants and hotels will be allowed to reopen over the holidays and the turn of the year.
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While the federal government has always made a draft for rounds like this Wednesday, which was then discussed with the states, this time it was the other way around: the state heads of government agreed on a common line.
The federal government has supplemented your paper with its more extensive ideas, which are now to be discussed.
However, it is undisputed that the contact restrictions are to be tightened from the beginning of December.
From December 23 to January 1, however, there will be easing.
The aim is to reduce the continued high number of new corona infections in the coming weeks.
The most important measures, on which the federal and state governments largely agree:
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PART-LOCKDOWN: The closure of bars, restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities is to be extended until at least December 20th.
All unnecessary contacts and trips should continue to be avoided.
The wholesale and retail trade will remain open - however, the mask requirement should now also apply in front of shops and in parking lots.
With an incidence of "well" below 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days and if other conditions are met, countries should be able to deviate from this.
FINANCIAL AID: November aid for companies and institutions affected by the partial lockdown is to be continued in December.
The federal government is planning financial aid for affected companies in the amount of probably 17 billion euros, as the dpa learned from government circles.
CONTACT RESTRICTIONS: The contact restrictions are to be tightened.
Private get-togethers with friends, relatives and acquaintances are therefore to be limited to your own household and to another household, but in any case to a maximum of five people.
Children up to 14 years are excluded.
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CONTACT RULES FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S YEAR: From December 23rd to January 1st, meetings of a household with non-household family members or people outside the household should be possible up to an upper limit of ten people.
Children up to the age of 14 do not count here either.
FIREWORKS: New Year's Eve fireworks in busy squares and streets are prohibited to avoid larger groups.
The locally responsible authorities should determine the places and streets affected.
Basically, it is «recommended» to avoid fireworks at the turn of the year.
COMPANY HOLIDAYS: Employers should check whether production facilities can close due to company holidays or generous home office solutions from December 23rd to January 1st.
SCHOOLS AND KITAS: Childcare facilities and schools should remain open.
In regions with significantly more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days, however, in the future, masking requirements should also apply in class from grade 7.
It should also be possible to introduce such an obligation for elementary school, fifth and sixth graders.
PROTECTION OF RISK GROUPS AND QUICK TESTS: The protection of risk groups should be improved.
For people in need of care in institutions there will be 30 quick tests per month from December 1st.
Depending on availability, this requirement will be gradually increased.
The federal government should provide for an even more extensive and lower-threshold use of rapid tests.
Further ideas of the federal government:
SHOPS: According to the ideas of the Chancellery, there should be no more than one customer per 25 square meters of sales area in stores - so far there is one customer per 10 square meters.
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RAIL TRANSPORT: In order to make travel safer, the number of occupied seats on trains is to be significantly reduced.
In principle, only all window seats should be bookable for the winter months.
At the same time, however, the capacity of the trains is to be increased.
TESTS: According to the federal government, a more generous test option should be offered for cold symptoms before Christmas.
The aim is to make encounters at Christmas time as safe as possible.
The planned restrictions on private celebrations during the Christmas season to a maximum of ten people meet with a majority of citizens' acceptance.
In a survey by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”, 57 percent of those questioned correctly stated that the state stipulates a maximum number of participants.
36.5 percent of respondents felt it was inappropriate for the state to regulate family celebrations.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201125-99-452703 / 3
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