“We don’t close everything, but we don’t just let everything open” – this is how Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announces a quasi-lockdown for the unvaccinated and a far-reaching lockdown for regions in which the corona virus is particularly raging. Outside the hotspots, too, the measures in Bavaria are tightening: no Christmas markets, bars and clubs are to close. The coalition of CSU and Free Voters agreed on this on Friday. The decisions should come into force next Wednesday after the approval of the state parliament. An overview.
What rules will apply in the future for people who are not vaccinated?
Those who are not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated are particularly hard hit by the new measures. Söders spoke of a “de facto lockdown for the unvaccinated”. It has already been the case so far that unvaccinated people in Bavaria were largely excluded from public life. Now there are sensitive restrictions. Among other things, the 2-G rule should also apply to services close to the body, which only allows those who have been completely vaccinated and recovered. Which means that unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to go to the hairdresser. In the future, they will no longer have access to universities, music schools or driving schools. “We have shown consideration for all those who have not been vaccinated for a long time, now we have to be less considerate,” said Söder.
Unvaccinated people will still be allowed to go shopping, and there will only be a tightening in retail that applies to everyone: only one person per ten square meters. In addition to the old and new access restrictions for people without vaccination protection, there are now also contact restrictions: Only a maximum of five unvaccinated people from two households are allowed to meet. Children under the age of twelve do not count.
Which stricter rules will apply in the near future for those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered?
Prime Minister Söder announced that the current 2-G rules will be “massively tightened”. For example, the 2-G-Plus rule and an upper limit for spectators should apply to cultural events, i.e. concerts and theater. Accordingly, vaccinated and convalescent people must also submit a negative test there and the capacity of a cultural site may only be used to 25 percent.
The same regulation should apply to sporting events, including home games in professional football. In addition, the 2-G-Plus rule is also mandatory for other leisure facilities and trade fairs. With 2-G-Plus, a mask is required and a negative rapid test is required.
Which facilities will be closed completely, which events will be banned?
After clubs and discos were only allowed to reopen in October, they have to close again now, for three weeks. Söder cited the reason that “the contagion is highest” there. Bars and pubs and brothels also have to be closed. There should also be a ban on annual markets and Christmas markets in Bavaria. There are “countless contacts” and “no effective controls,” said Söder. He promised “transitional allowances” for the showmen.
Why are culture and gastronomy being spared from a closure? “Because this is about the rights of the vaccinated,” said Söder. And about the fact that vaccinated people should continue to “have an opportunity to participate in life”. In the catering industry, however, there will be a “further tightened control” of the 2-G rule. In addition, Söder announced that there will be a curfew there again: 10 p.m. The goal is to “significantly reduce the number of contacts in the evening”.
What is happening in the corona hotspots? Will there be a lockdown there?
According to the will of the state government, a far-reaching lockdown is to come again in particularly affected regions. “A hard emergency brake is needed here,” said the Prime Minister. Otherwise the hospitals there would have “no chance of taking a deep breath in the foreseeable future”. According to Söder, the lockdown measures in hotspots apply “to everyone, whether vaccinated or not”.
According to this, urban and rural districts are counted as hotspots, in which the seven-day incidence exceeds the mark of 1,000 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. On Friday these were: Berchtesgadener Land, Dingolfing-Landau, Freyung-Grafenau, Landshut, Mühldorf am Inn, Passau, Rottal-Inn and Traunstein. Due to the increasing incidence, however, it is to be expected that further cities and districts will be added by the time the lockdown measures come into effect next Wednesday. In regions with an incidence of 1,000 or more, all restaurants, hotels, sports and cultural venues have to close. Hairdressers and beauticians also have to lock up. Leisure, sport and cultural events are also not allowed to take place. In universities, only digital teaching takes place in hotspots.
On the other hand, all shops should remain open, where the following applies: only one person per 20 square meters. Access to old people’s and nursing homes should also remain under strict test conditions. The regional lockdown measures will only be lifted again when the regional incidence falls back below the 1000 mark for five days and the trend shows a stable downward trend. However, Söder explicitly points out: The hotspot lockdowns only apply until December 15, since such restrictions are no longer possible under the new Infection Protection Act.
What is happening in schools?
According to the plans, schools and daycare centers should remain open – even in hotspots with very high and still rising numbers of infections. However, the children and adolescents would have to wear a “permanent mask”, said Söder. Accordingly, a mask requirement should apply again in physical education. In addition, Söder announced an “increased test volume”. “The safety net is tight,” said Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters). The argument against closure is that schools and daycare centers are “social places”, which is “very important” for children and young people, “that gives structure”.
PCR pool tests are now to be offered nationwide in day-care centers, and they are also to be offered in secondary schools, especially in the fifth and sixth grades. Otherwise, the previous system of rapid tests remains.
What’s next with the vaccination?
When vaccinating, Söder defended himself against the criticism that the state government was jointly responsible for the low vaccination rate in Bavaria. This is due “not to the vaccination offer in the last few months, but to the willingness to vaccinate”, to “carelessness and a lack of solidarity”. Nevertheless, one will examine how the vaccination rate can be increased, for example by vaccinating pharmacies.
If the federal government does not agree to a partial compulsory vaccination, for example for nursing staff, one must consider whether the federal states can make their own decisions. In addition, Söder said: “I believe that in the end we will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination.” Otherwise there is a threat of an “endless loop with this crap corona”.
How are the reactions?
Mixed, for example in the state parliament opposition. For example, while the SPD parliamentary group considers the measures to be late but necessary, the AfD threatens to take action against it “with all legal means”. The organizer of the Christmas market in the Thurn und Taxis castle courtyard in Regensburg, which begins this Friday, also wants to examine legal steps. “As long as I have not received a legally binding written prohibition, we will continue to operate the market,” said organizer Peter Kittel.
Also in Nuremberg, where the famous Christkindlesmarkt was supposed to take place, the disappointment about the cancellation is great. Mayor Marcus König (CSU) also said: “We can only get a normal life back if the vaccination wave breaks the corona wave.”