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Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the prime ministers agreed that the lockdown should be extended to March 7th, but the states may decide for themselves some early easing measures.

Throughout Germany, hairdressers are allowed to reopen from March 1st, subject to certain hygiene requirements.

The opening of schools and daycare centers is not regulated uniformly, but is at the discretion of the individual countries.

The next major opening step should only be when there is a stable 7-day incidence of no more than 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

Then the retail trade, museums and galleries as well as businesses with body-friendly services should be able to reopen.

All countries at a glance:

Baden-Wuerttemberg

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Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann warned urgently of a slowdown in the fight against the corona virus.

However, daycare centers and primary schools should reopen on February 22nd, if the number of infections allows, said Kretschmann.

The concept for returning to face-to-face operations at the primary schools is already in place.

It is based on the regulations that applied after the first corona lockdown last year at the end of the Whitsun holidays.

In essence, it is about alternating operations, in which two grades come face-to-face and the other two grades learn from home.

Bavaria

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The nationwide night curfew in Bavaria expires at the end of this week.

Only in Corona hotspots with a seven-day incidence of more than 100 there should continue to be night curfews, but in future only from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

This was announced by Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU).

In addition, primary school classes will return to schools from February 22nd - but only in alternating classes and only in rural districts and urban districts with a seven-day incidence of less than 100. Daycare centers are also to reopen on this date with restricted regular operations.

The step will be accompanied by a mask and test concept.

At present, only high school graduates go to schools in Bavaria.

Berlin

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In Berlin, the primary schools are to gradually return to face-to-face classes from February 22nd.

This was announced by the governing mayor and current chairman of the Prime Minister's Conference Michael Müller (SPD) after the deliberations of the federal and state governments.

The opening will be organized in strict compliance with hygiene regulations and with alternating lessons, said Müller.

Brandenburg

Brandenburg wants to gradually open primary schools with alternating lessons from February 22nd.

"These are models that have already been used in schools," said Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) on the RBB information radio.

Distance teaching works only to a very limited extent in primary school.

That is why the signal is right, "that the little ones can go back to school first".

When the high schools open again, Woidke left it open.

The situation is different there, distance teaching works better there.

The state government wanted to inform the parliament about the new federal state resolutions in a special session of the Brandenburg state parliament on Thursday afternoon.

Bremen

Whether and what changes there might be for schools and daycare centers in Bremen should be discussed intensively in the Senate, the red-green-red coalition and with parents and teachers.

Changes would take effect on February 22 or March 1 at the earliest.

Schools are not closed in Bremen, but the compulsory attendance has been lifted.

Hamburg

Unlike many other federal states, Hamburg does not want to open primary schools before March.

This is announced by Hamburg's mayor Peter Tschentscher.

One would consider how to continue after the spring break, which ended on March 12th in Hamburg.

“We have to be careful,” says Tschentscher, referring to the virus mutations.

The number of new infections is currently only falling slightly, the virus variants are much more aggressive.

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Hesse

Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) was happy about the gradual school openings.

"We will open elementary schools and grades 5 and 6 with alternating classes from February 22nd," said Bouffier.

“I am glad that we were able to prevail.” According to the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, the planned alternation of classes should offer as many face-to-face classes as possible for as many students as possible.

Daycare centers in Hesse could also go into restricted regular operation again from February 22nd.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Primary schools and daycare centers are scheduled to reopen after the winter holidays on February 22nd.

This should apply to rural districts and urban districts that have an incidence value of less than 50.

What this means for the districts with an incidence over 50 is to be clarified on Friday in the Corona state summit.

The higher grades should continue to study at home nationwide, with the exception of final grades.

Lower Saxony

The State Chancellery confirmed that flower shops and garden centers are allowed to open again in Lower Saxony on Saturday.

In Lower Saxony, the corona measures in the education sector will initially continue to apply until the end of February.

In the so-called scenario B, elementary school students receive alternating lessons in divided classes, observing distance and hygiene rules, the Ministry of Education announced.

Scenario B also applies to children with intellectual disabilities in special schools and to young people who graduate this school year.

School years five to twelve remained in pure distance learning, it continues, as do the students at vocational schools.

Emergency care up to grade 6 remains.

The day-care centers also continue to offer emergency care, usually up to half of the usual group sizes, but are generally closed.

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia wants to gradually open schools from February 22nd.

The primary schools should then open in an alternating model, said school minister Yvonne Gebauer.

With a 7-day incidence below 50, NRW will then switch to face-to-face teaching.

In the school mail it is stated that from February 22nd, the classes planning their final exams in 2021 will return to face-to-face mode.

This could be made possible “also in full class strength”.

If it is spatially and personally feasible, the schools could also split the final classes or choose a hybrid model.

In the case of elementary school students and younger children with special needs, it is up to the school management how they specifically want to organize the alternating lessons.

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Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate wants to gradually reopen schools from February 22nd.

First of all, there will be mandatory alternation classes for primary school students, announced Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD).

The 5th and 6th grades should then follow “quickly” in March.

Dreyer initially left open when there could be face-to-face lessons for older students again.

At the same time as the gradual opening of the schools, primary school teachers and kindergarten staff are expected to be given preference for vaccinations.

Dreyer promised that they could be offered a vaccination by Easter.

Sufficient vaccination doses would probably be available for this.

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Aarland

The Saarland wants to enable elementary school students to take alternating lessons from February 22nd.

“And we don't look very meticulously at the incidence,” said Prime Minister Tobias Hans (CDU) on Wednesday evening in Saarbrücken after the federal-state consultations.

This means that this step should be taken within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants even if the target of 50 new infections is not reached.

A corona summit by the state government and district administrators is planned for Friday in Saarland.

Saxony

In view of drastic corona incidences in the Czech Republic, Saxony wants to significantly restrict commuter traffic.

The sealing off of certain hotspots is urgently required, said Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU).

The “Click and Collect” pick-up service should be available in retail outlets as early as next Monday.

Saxony was the only federal state that had not yet allowed this service.

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On Tuesday, Minister of Culture Christian Piwarz (CDU) announced the opening of daycare centers and primary schools in restricted regular operations from February 15.

The principle of strict separation of groups and classes with fixed reference persons applies.

There are exceptions for graduating classes: You returned to secondary schools and grammar schools in Saxony on January 18.

In Saxony, compulsory attendance for primary school students is to be suspended for the time being.

Parents can thus decide for themselves whether to send their child to school.

Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt will stick to its plan to gradually reopen the schools from March 1st, announced Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU).

Parallel to the gradual opening of the schools, Saxony-Anhalt will also be opening daycare centers and after-school care centers again from March.

The daycare centers would then switch to restricted regular operations, said Minister of Social Affairs Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD) on Thursday after a cabinet meeting.

According to this, the children should be cared for in fixed groups, as in some cases in the previous year, and if possible always by the same educators.

Schleswig-Holstein

There is a special exception in the north: zoos, wildlife parks, horticultural centers and flower shops are to open in Schleswig-Holstein on March 1st.

The Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) announced on Thursday in the state parliament.

The same applies to certain indoor sports as well as hairdressing salons and nail salons.

Primary school pupils in Schleswig-Holstein should start learning in school again from February 22nd and daycare centers should continue to open.

Otherwise, according to the resolutions of the federal and state governments from Wednesday to March, the lockdown with largely closed shops, restaurants and leisure facilities.

Thuringia

According to Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left), Thuringia will extend the lockdown until March 7th with the closure of restaurants, hotels and shops.

However, hairdressers should now be able to cut hair again at the beginning of March and not as initially planned in Thuringia on February 20.

When it comes to school opening in Thuringia, alternating lessons with a seven-day incidence below 100 are conceivable, said the Prime Minister.

He advocated more rapid tests in the education sector.

With a value of 123, Thuringia is currently still the federal state with the highest seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany.

Note: We update this article regularly.