As of: 09/28/2021 8:07 am
Is a negative test enough or are only those who have been vaccinated and recovered allowed in the restaurant, concert or club? Many restaurateurs find it difficult to make a decision – and would rather leave it to politics.
“We’re doing 2G,” says Max Setrak, co-owner of the “Jolesch” restaurant in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. He did not want a new lockdown, which had hit him hard economically as well. Born in Austria, he himself contracted Corona in the summer of 2020 and it took him several months to feel well again. In the first week with 2G, most of his guests accepted the new rules and showed their evidence that they had been vaccinated or recovered. About a third of the restaurant visitors couldn’t or didn’t want to, they should have been sent away, says the restaurateur. Some also insulted him that he should just go bankrupt.
2G allows double utilization, but it is also unsettling
Of course, it’s also about money, says Setrak. By opting for the 2G rule, he can serve twice as many guests as before, since distance rules and mask requirements are no longer applicable. Setrak just doesn’t understand why he has to make this decision – and not the politicians. They were ultimately chosen for it.
Many questions were brought to him, says Gerrit Buchhorn, deputy chief executive of the Berlin Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), especially about dealing with the staff; for example, whether only vaccinated or recovered employees will be allowed to work in the future. So far there have been no responses from the Senate. Basically, Berlin-based Dehoga sticks to its assessment, according to Buchhorn, that the 2G rule offers a good choice to work under corona conditions. How many restaurateurs actually introduce the rule cannot be said after such a short time, says the association manager.
“We want to be hosts for everyone”
The president of the Brandenburger Dehoga, Olaf Schöpe, who runs a hotel and restaurant in the Spreewald, is much more critical. The state government in Potsdam also introduced the rule at the same time as Berlin, according to which event and catering companies are allowed to decide whether they only let in those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated.
As a result, they have become political henchmen, said Schöpe. Many of its association members do not want to exclude some of their guests. “We want to host everyone,” he says. Politicians should have acted with more sense of proportion here. At the moment, the corona situation is not so dramatic. He therefore continues to advocate the 3G rule, which also allows people who have tested negatively to access restaurants, for example, said the Dehoga President of Brandenburg. That has worked well so far.
What applies in the different federal states?
The 2G rule can not only be applied in Berlin and Brandenburg. With the beginning of the cold season, many federal states are checking stricter corona regulations – primarily where access to closed rooms is involved. The risk of being infected with Covid-19 is known to be greater in those areas than outside.
As early as the end of August, Hamburg opened up the possibility of events and restaurant visits taking place with almost no corona requirements, if these are only attended by those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered. The “2G option model” now also applies in Hesse, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. In Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein, the 2G rule should only come into force if the pandemic situation worsens, for example in the event that a rapidly increasing number of corona patients threatens to overload the hospitals. Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saarland, Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia have so far adhered to the 3G rule and have no concrete plans for a 2G option model. They are currently still being checked in Thuringia. Above all, it is about dealing with those who cannot yet be vaccinated; Children, for example.
In view of the discussions about vaccination, 2G and 3G, the Berlin restaurant operator Setrak says he is hoping for the coming spring. And on the fact that until then no more corona restrictions are necessary. That is good for everyone – including his business.