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The revamped Infection Protection Act is on its way: 342 MPs voted for the grand coalition's draft, 250 rejected it, 64 abstained.
This should also bring the nightly curfews that have sparked heated discussions about proportionality, freedoms and the price of fighting pandemics in the past few days.
The regulations as such are for the most part not new.
In March, the state chiefs, together with the federal government, decided on an emergency brake.
Curfews have also long been in force in various parts of the country, including Hamburg and Hagen.
But because the implementation of the rules - as has often happened in the past - was like a patchwork quilt, it is now to be uniformly regulated what happens at which incidence values.
But: What does the catchy word “curfew” actually mean in concrete terms?
How do you know if it applies in your own place of residence?
What time are you not allowed to go out?
And what are valid exceptions?
From what date does the curfew apply?
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It is not yet possible to say exactly from which point in time the amended Infection Protection Act will take effect.
The law passed the Bundestag on Wednesday - now the Bundesrat has to decide.
That should happen on Thursday at 11 a.m.
The Federal Council could theoretically object and thus make renegotiations necessary.
However, several federal states have already announced that they do not want to appeal.
Finally, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has to sign the law, which could also happen on Thursday.
The publication in the Federal Law Gazette could possibly take place on the same day as the signing.
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Until when will it remain in force?
The new rules apply nationwide as long as an "epidemic situation of national scope" can be determined.
The end date - which has been postponed again and again since the beginning of the pandemic - is currently set at June 30, 2021.
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If individual rural districts or urban districts can show an incidence below 100 on five consecutive days, the emergency brake is locally deactivated.
Where does the curfew apply?
The curfew should only apply in counties or urban districts that have a seven-day incidence of over 100 on three consecutive days.
The days before the law comes into force are also taken into account.
However, this currently applies to large parts of Germany - only Schleswig-Holstein's incidence values are largely below the 100 mark, and the numbers on the northern and southern edges of Lower Saxony and isolated spots in other federal states are low enough not to fall under the emergency brake.
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Citizens are responsible for knowing whether the emergency brake applies at their place of residence.
The current figures can be found on a dashboard on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.
In addition, most national media offer overviews - including WELT.
It is also advisable to follow the local press in order to keep an eye on the situation on site and to prevent unpleasant night surprises.
And from what time?
The curfew comes into effect at 10 p.m. and lasts until 5 a.m. the following day.
You can also go jogging or walking alone until midnight.
Originally, starting times of 9 p.m. or even 8 p.m. were discussed, but after days of discussion these demands have been softened.
What are valid exceptions?
In addition to “physical activity exercised alone” until midnight, there are various reasons that allow people to stay outside their own home.
For example, commutes to work are generally permitted, as are emergencies, care and maintenance or the care of animals.
There is already criticism of these regulations.
The constitutional lawyer Anna Katharina Mangold, who prepared an opinion on the curfew for the Society for Freedom Rights (GFF), does not consider the exemptions to be definite enough.
Citizens should know in advance whether they might be breaking the law.
Otherwise the police would have the power to make decisions, and it was not foreseeable whether they would recognize individual reasons or instead impose a fine.
What if you break it?
Anyone who is found in public at night and cannot credibly demonstrate that there is a valid reason for this must expect a fine.
So far, there are different details about the amount.
According to the local press, you should expect at least 250 euros in Selm.
A local media in Mainz reports that 100 euros would be due there.
In Brandenburg it should be between 50 and 250 euros, in Stuttgart even up to 500 euros.
What do the courts say?
Various parties have already announced legal steps against the changed Infection Protection Act, including the curfews, including the FDP, the Free Voters and the Society for Freedom Rights.
The arguments range from a perceived “abuse” by the federal government towards the federal states to doubts about the effectiveness of the measure.
In Hamburg, where a curfew has been in effect for several weeks, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) has rejected a complaint against the night curfew imposed by the state government.
According to the court, a plaintiff wanted to ensure that an approval of the measure given by the Hamburg Administrative Court in the first instance is re-examined.
The OVG refused, however, because the author did not provide a sound justification for this.
(Ref. 5 Bs 85/21)
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Accordingly, the studies mentioned by the complainant do not justify sufficient doubts about the decision of the administrative court.
The court emphasized that these are either not very meaningful for the current pandemic or support the Senate's view that the curfews were in effect.
Curfews, distance lessons and test offers
The curfews are already in place in Cologne, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
After 9 p.m. you are only allowed to go out if you have a good reason - and that is strictly checked.
In addition, distance teaching should be compulsory in schools nationwide from an incidence of 165.
Source: WELT / Dagmar Boehning
A substantive and legal examination of decisions of the lower court is always carried out by the OVG by default only when a complainant can successfully cast doubt on "basic assumptions", it said.
This did not succeed in the present case.
However, another complaint is pending.
The Hamburg administrative court approved the curfew two weeks ago in an urgent procedure as an appropriate and reasonable state response to the pandemic.
Without the measure, the corona containment would be "significantly endangered".
The administrative courts in North Rhine-Westphalia come to different decisions in urgent proceedings.
While the Arnsberg Administrative Court repeatedly objected on Wednesday that the regulation, such as that imposed by the Märkische Kreis, was not sufficiently plausible as a “last resort” to contain the pandemic, the Cologne Administrative Court rejected an urgent application against the curfew on the same day in Cologne.