Coronavirus
Mittelstandsverband demands 2G rule in companies
An employee of the chip manufacturer Globalfoundries (GF) shows his vaccination certificate in the factory lobby before work begins. (Archive image) Photo: Robert Michael / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Already now applies to all companies that only vaccinated, recovered or tested employees are allowed to work. A business association is now even campaigning for stricter regulation.
The Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises has called for a 2G rule in companies to contain the corona pandemic. “This is easier to control and cheaper than the 3G rule,” said Federal Managing Director Markus Jerger of the German Press Agency.
“It would mean that only those who have been vaccinated or recovered are allowed to enter their workplaces.” The 3G rule in the workplace came into force more than a week ago: employers are only allowed to give employees access to companies if they have been vaccinated, recovered or tested.
Jerger: “Politics has delivered”
Jerger said that the federal and state governments reacted appropriately to the dramatic corona situation with their resolutions on Thursday. “Politics delivered.” This includes extending the 2G regulation to retail. However, companies, for example in the hotel and hospitality industry, which are already subject to a regional lockdown, now have to be helped quickly and unbureaucratically.
The retail sector itself sees it differently and has criticized the 2G regulation for shops. «Mask requirement and hygiene concepts work, shopping is safe. 2G in retail makes it unnecessarily difficult for non-grocery retailers in their strongest sales phase to find a conciliatory end to the year in a year marked by Corona and great challenges, “said the chief executive of the German Retail Association, Stefan Genth, of the” Rheinische Post “(Friday) . “Due to the inevitable queues in front of the customers in retail outlets, customer frequency will decrease,” he added.
Consistent implementation difficult
The Mittelstandsverbund also criticized the nationwide expansion of the 2G rule in retail that was decided by the federal and state governments. “Apart from the fact that the consistent implementation of the 2G regulation will be difficult to implement and certainly not comprehensively controlled, vaccinated people are not exempt from being virus-carrying,” said a letter to the likely future Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), which is available to the dpa.
“As difficult as it may be personally to show understanding for people who have not yet accepted the vaccination offer, they still have to be given the opportunity within a transitional period, following the changed conditions, to get the vaccination.” The association of medium-sized companies demanded that the range of vaccinations be expanded significantly. According to its own information, the organization represents the interests of around 230,000 medium-sized companies that are organized in around 310 associations. These include Edeka, Rewe, Intersport and Hagebau.