Since the beginning of the week, customers in Frankfurt have been able to shop in retail outlets with 2-G ribbons.

The new regulation should simplify the access controls in the shops for customers and dealers and shorten the queues in front of the shops.

Frankfurt is thus following other Hessian cities such as Bad Homburg, Wiesbaden and Darmstadt, which have been offering shopping with 2-G ribbons for a long time.

In order to receive a 2-G wristband, citizens must show their valid 2-G certificate at one of the issuing offices and then get a wristband tied around their wrist.

This should make shopping more pleasant for customers.

Until the beginning of the next week, all you have to do is show the ribbon when entering a store.

The ribbon color changes weekly

This eliminates the time-consuming process of rummaging around for ID and 2-G proof.

The currently silver ribbons change color every week to prevent abuse.

From the third of January the ribbons will be colored gold.

“It's great when it makes shopping easier for customers in Frankfurt,” says Jost Wiebelhaus, owner of the “Frankfurter Laufshop” in the city center.

Especially in the busy shopping period between the years, he is grateful that a good solution had been found so quickly.

As a result of its efforts, the running shop received the wristbands on December 23rd and started to distribute them punctually when the shop opened after the holidays.

Expand the ribbon rule to include culture?

Other issuing points such as the customer information center in the MyZeil shopping center were still waiting for the silver ribbons on Monday morning. Due to unopened issuing points and late deliveries of the silver ribbons, some customers did not receive the desired ribbons until the third attempt. Even so, many citizens are happy with the simple solution that saves the hectic unlocking of the phone in front of each deal. “It's a relief when you have to go to several shops,” says Christoph Franzke, while he is getting a strap attached to his wrist. Last week, when he was shopping for Christmas presents, he asked himself why there weren't any ribbons in Frankfurt yet.

Max Wilcke, who has just received his ribbon at the information counter in the Galeria building, can also imagine using it in other areas.

"The ribbon could also be used well in culture, if it can be implemented."

Joachim Stoll, Vice President of the Hessen Trade Association and the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, can also imagine expanding the ribbon regulation to include gastronomy and culture.

Citizens must still have valid proof with them

"The previous control of the 2-G status in every sales outlet has placed a heavy burden on many retailers," says the city's economic department head Stephanie Wüst (FDP).

That is why the economic department worked with dealers, among other things, to implement the 2-G ribbon.

Despite the ribbon regulation, citizens are still obliged to carry their valid 2-G papers with them, says Annette Rinn (FDP), head of the regulatory and security department.

The public order office and the police will randomly check whether people who wear a ribbon also have valid 2-G proof.

The ribbons are available in the tourist information on Römerberg, in the clothing store Peek & Cloppenburg, in the Galeria department store, in the Frankfurt running shop and in many other shops.