The state government relaxes all corona rules for sport, culture, gastronomy if organizers only let in vaccinated and convalescent people. Those who are not vaccinated must present a PCR test.
Full football stadiums, full opera houses, full concert halls. This will also be possible again in Bavaria from this Wednesday on. As the state government decided on Monday evening, the capacity limits previously set in the Infection Protection Ordinance will then fall – but only if organizers voluntarily choose the 2-G rule or the so-called 3-G plus rule. According to the 2-G rule, only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered have access, according to the 3-G-plus rule, also people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus but can present a valid PCR test. A rapid antigen test is then no longer sufficient. If an organizer opts for 2G or 3G plus, in addition to the maximum number of persons, there is also no mask requirement and distance requirement.
It is about the “proportionality”, so justified State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU) the decision of the state government, which affects all areas in which the 3-G rule previously applied. This also includes fitness studios, cinemas, museums, conferences, congresses, libraries and music schools. If an organizer decides on one of the two models, it needs “a strict access regime” so that “no rubbish is played,” said Herrmann after the cabinet meeting on Monday. The organization must be “reliable, despite all the relaxation”.
While the new options can make things a lot easier for organizers, the state government is also increasing the vaccination pressure on all those people who have not yet been vaccinated. With the relaxations, the Free State is continuing its principle of “prudence and caution”, said Herrmann and reminded that a vaccination could prevent a serious course of the disease or a stay in hospital. “Testing alone is not enough protection,” he said, which is why the trend is now towards 2G. But: “We don’t want to force anyone to use 2G or 3G plus.” There is an exception for children and pupils who are regularly tested in school: They have access wherever 3G plus applies (provided they are not vaccinated anyway).
Last week, the state government decided to lift the restrictions on bars and clubs in the Free State, which were valid until last Friday. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020, people in Bavaria were allowed to celebrate and dance again at the weekend without a mask and without any distance. The offer was used extensively in many places. Dance and music are now also permitted in restaurants under the conditions of “3G plus” that apply to discos. This means, among other things, that guests are allowed to drink again at the bar, which was previously forbidden.
On Monday, Herrmann described the infection situation in Bavaria as “overall stable”. The so-called hospital traffic lights are “absolutely in the green”. According to Herrmann, the number of weekly new admissions to Bavarian hospitals was 260 cases (limit value 1200). Almost all corona patients admitted to clinics were therefore not vaccinated.