From February 9th
Schleswig-Holstein lifts 2G in retail and curfew for gastronomy
Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) announces relaxation of the corona measures
© Christian Carisius / DPA
Schleswig-Holstein is pushing ahead and relaxing the corona measures. According to Prime Minister Günther, the 2G rule in retail should fall, as should the curfew in gastronomy.
The state of Schleswig-Holstein is relaxing the corona measures and, among other things, lifting the 2G rule for retail. Customers then only have to wear a mask in shops, but no longer need proof of vaccination. The curfew for the gastronomy should also be omitted. This was announced by Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) on Wednesday in Kiel. There should also be relaxation at major events. According to the CDU politician, the regulations should apply from February 9th. Günther justified the step, among other things, with a comparatively high vaccination rate in the northernmost state. The country wants to “move a bit towards normality,” said Günther.
The head of government also announced changes to events, but the country will wait for a planned nationwide decision. In the future, this will probably include up to 10,000 spectators at larger outdoor events – such as in the football stadium – with a maximum occupancy of 30 percent of the seats. Inside, up to 4,000 visitors are in discussion at a maximum of half capacity. This would also apply to handball games.
Daniel Günther: Vaccination rate as in Denmark
Günther justified the easing by saying that the omicron variant of the corona virus is more contagious but less dangerous. Severe courses are hardly to be found among vaccinated people. “With our vaccination rate, we are about the same as our neighbor Denmark, which is lifting all restrictions,” said the head of government. However, the number of people who have recovered is many times higher there.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, the north was currently in 13th place among the federal states with the seven-day incidence (895.2) and the burden on hospitals remained moderate – a decisive criterion for new measures. The state government had exchanged views with its panel of experts on Monday about how to proceed.
Start of easing wave?
For the time being, there is no further relaxation for the gastronomy apart from the elimination of the curfew. 2G plus continues to apply there – only those who have been vaccinated or have recovered are granted access if they have had a booster vaccination or present a negative test.
Political observers believe that the decision in Schleswig-Holstein could be the beginning of a wave of easing in view of the often milder courses of the omicron variant and openings in neighboring countries. On Tuesday evening, the mayor of Bremen, Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD), had demanded on ZDF that an opening perspective had to be developed by the next round of federal and state governments. He showed sympathy for decisions such as those taken by the Kiel government.