Status: 08/28/2021 00:01 AM
As of today, restaurants, pubs, theaters, cinemas and other public facilities in Hamburg can be reserved for vaccinated and convalescent people – but only if the operators have registered for the 2G option.
In return, there are then no restrictions such as distance specifications, compulsory testing, dance ban and specifications on seating and table arrangement. So did the Senate decided on Tuesday in its nationwide so far unique 2G regulation. Organizers and restaurants must register online if they want to use the 2G option model. And they then have to check whether guests have proof of vaccination or recovery plus ID with them. If they violate the regulations, they face fines of between EUR 1,000 and EUR 20,000.
Partly skepticism among operators
How many will use the offer is still unclear. In the run-up they showed especially many cultural establishments are skeptical about a quick introduction. There were also cautious voices in the catering industry. The food-pleasure-restaurants union (NGG) complained that 2G in the catering and hotel industry threatened to lose jobs for those employees who did not want or could not be vaccinated.
Mayor Peter Tschentscher rejected the criticism because of an alleged compulsory vaccination through the back door. If there was a compulsory vaccination, “then there would be no pardon, it is said that everyone has to vaccinate. That is something completely different from what we currently have,” he said on Friday. The German Ethics Council had previously made a similar statement. “A duty is something that cannot be avoided”, said the ethics council chairman Alena Buyx NDR Info. That is not the case here. Instead, “pressure is built to make it more attractive to protect yourself and others”.
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Exceptions only for children and young people
Children and adolescents up to the age of 18 can initially take part in 2G offers regardless of their vaccination status. This exception only applies for six weeks, and then only for all children under the age of twelve. There are no exceptions, however, for adults who cannot be vaccinated because of a previous illness or pregnancy.
Private celebrations with 2G are also possible
Private events and celebrations such as weddings can also take place with the 2G option. You do not need to be logged in. The distance requirement then no longer applies there. There are no limits to the number of participants, unless there is dancing. Then there is a maximum limit of 150 people and a mask requirement when dancing. Outside, 750 people are allowed to celebrate in private under 2G rules.
AUDIO: Hamburg introduces 2G model (1 min)
Restaurants and bars: No more curfew with 2G
In restaurants where the 2G option applies, tables can again be placed anywhere, masks no longer have to be worn at fixed standing and seating areas, and there is no longer any need to stand. There is no longer any obligation to test and the curfew has been lifted for such establishments.
Cultural institutions such as theaters, cinemas, museums, libraries and zoos may again offer all seats under the 2G option, but a medical mask must be worn in interior furnishings – also when dancing.
More people are allowed to come to events
In music clubs, at live music events and at sports events, 1,300 people are allowed indoors and up to 2,000 outside. When dancing, the maximum limits are 750 people outside and 150 people inside.
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More freedom in sport
The distance requirement and the capacity limits do not apply to sports facilities, fitness studios, swimming pools and saunas that offer the 2G option. However, a medical mask must be worn indoors.
Contact details in shops no longer necessary
There will also be relief in retail: Also from Saturday, the obligation to follow up contacts with the Luca app or name slips will no longer apply in all Hamburg shops.
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