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Hanover (dpa / lni) - After the federal-state agreement on a gradual relaxation of the corona restrictions, Lower Saxony is implementing the steps with the possibility of regional deviations.

From mid-March onwards, all students will gradually return to the classes.

Whether tourism will be possible over Easter is still open, as the state government announced on Thursday.

As with nationwide, the lockdown will be extended until March 28th.

The number of infections also continued to stagnate in Lower Saxony with a seven-day incidence of 65. Infections with the more contagious British virus variant are increasingly being found, the State Health Office said.

The easing steps are based on intensive rapid tests for all population groups, which should be available for schools and day-care centers as early as next week, said Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD).

Rapid vaccination progress is also important.

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REGIONAL RULES: Lower Saxony implements the corona course agreed by the federal and state governments in a regionally differentiated manner.

If the corona restrictions are relaxed and tightened, the infection situation in the districts should be taken into account.

However, this should not happen in areas with a supra-regional attraction such as in retail.

A regionalization of the rules is conceivable, however, for contact restrictions or for popular sports.

The administrative districts should be handled in coordination with the state.

TRADE: As nationwide, there will be the option of appointment shopping from next Monday, i.e. shopping after an appointment has been made in the respective shop.

The hardware stores are to remain closed for the time being.

Model projects for a further opening of trade are being considered.

SCHOOLS: The schools in Lower Saxony are expanding their operations again from March 15th.

Then grades 5 to 7 and the 12th grade finish homeschooling.

They are returning to face-to-face teaching in an alternating model, as the Ministry of Culture announced.

One week later, from March 22nd, all schools and age groups are supposed to return to alternating classes.

For elementary school students and graduating classes, attendance is again mandatory from next Monday (March 8th).

So far, the parents of these students could decide whether they want to send their children to school or let them study from home.

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KITAS: Also from March 8th, the daycare centers will return to the restricted regular operation.

The daycare centers are basically open and offer care in regular group sizes, but the groups are not allowed to mix.

The restricted operation provides for a childcare offer for all children who have a childcare place in the respective day-care center ».

TOURISM: The state government is sticking to a perspective for tourism over the Easter days.

"I do not want to give up the Easter holidays on the coast, in the Harz and in the Heide and all other Lower Saxony holiday areas," said Economics Minister Bernd Althusmann (CDU) on Thursday in Hanover.

A spontaneous visit to a restaurant or a trip is still a long way off.

However, in Lower Saxony, as agreed in the federal-state resolution on the corona crisis on Wednesday evening, outdoor catering will open before Easter - at the earliest from March 22nd.

INDUSTRY DISAPPOINTED: "You almost have to say that the Easter business that we had bet on has vanished," says Lower Saxony's Dehoga boss Rainer Balke.

If the federal and state governments do not want to make decisions on tourism until March 22nd, it is hardly possible at the last minute to stimulate Easter tourism.

The opening of the outdoor catering in March would not help the industry any more economically.

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INDUSTRY: The metal and electrical industry considers a large part of the new Corona rules to be unsuccessful and unrealistic in their implementation.

Instead of continuing to "stiffen" - albeit now higher - permissible incidence values, politicians must finally increase the speed of vaccination, demanded the managing director of Niedersachsen-Metall, Volker Schmidt.

Otherwise there is a risk that the lockdown will continue to lengthen in large areas despite the prospect of loosening.

The employers' associations of Lower Saxony (UVN) also called for more speed in vaccination.

Business can also help through company doctors.

WHAT'S NEXT?

A new Lower Saxony corona regulation is to be published on Saturday, which will then apply until March 28th.

It must first be coordinated with the associations and the state parliament.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-692448 / 4