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The longed-for day has come for Hamburg - the incidence is below 100 on five working days in a row. On Monday, Hamburg's Senator for Health and Social Affairs Melanie Leonhard (SPD) immediately announced the lifting of the Corona emergency brake in the Hanseatic city from Wednesday.

The Hamburg Senate had already announced last week, in accordance with the law, that the curfew, which has been in force since Good Friday, will be lifted on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Senate will probably formally resolve this again.

The easing initially only relates to the exit restrictions, which Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) considers essential for achieving the now lower infection rate. The Senate had already presented a step-by-step plan in a special session on Friday. After the end of the May vacation on May 17, all pupils should return to schools for alternate classes. In addition, the daycare centers are to switch from extended emergency operation to restricted regular operation. This then guarantees care for 20 hours on at least three days in any case. So far, the daycare centers are generally closed. Children are only looked after in emergencies.

Outdoor sports with up to ten children and extracurricular music for children and young people should also be possible again, said Tschentscher.

In addition, the general mask requirement on playgrounds should only apply if the minimum distances cannot be observed.

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If this is successful, further easing could follow 10 to 14 days later - on May 22 at the earliest - and retail outlets could reopen - with mandatory testing for customers and contact tracking.

"We would then like to extend the contact restrictions to five people from two households, enable contact-free sport for adults (...) and allow children's birthdays (of up to ten children) again." Body-friendly services should then be possible again overall.

At the beginning of June, the gastronomy will start

Only another ten to 14 days later - if possible at the beginning of June - further easing should be possible with a third opening stage.

That would then, among other things, affect outdoor catering and outdoor events.

At the very end, in a fourth opening step, it would be the turn of the catering, hotel, accommodation and tourist offerings.

Tschentscher emphasized that one had to proceed step by step, "so that we do not suffer a relapse, but now move safely out of the crisis".

Disappointment in the Hamburg economy

The Hamburg economy is disappointed with this stretching of the opening steps. "The current infection dynamics and the Infection Protection Act would have allowed more extensive openings for Hamburg," said the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Norbert Aust. "Hamburg's economy, especially in the heavily battered sectors such as gastronomy, retail or tourism, would have needed this opening perspective earlier, especially since the openings in our neighboring countries generate additional mobility."