In Saxony, the requirement to wear a mask when shopping should be dropped if the weekly incidence is less than ten. Health Minister Petra Köpping announced after the cabinet meeting in Dresden that the regulation will take effect from this Friday (July 16) with the new state ordinance. Mouth and nose protection must still be worn on buses and trains as well as in medical facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes. All districts and cities in the Free State are currently below the threshold of ten new weekly infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
Köpping attested that Saxony was developing well in view of the low incidence values - but that was not a matter of course. The delta variant is spreading. There are now 136 references to this variant in the Free State. The minister appealed to the population to remain cautious.
Negative test after vacation or home office
Anyone who has been on vacation for more than five days must present a current negative test when they return to work. This also applies to employees who have been in the home office. According to Köpping, vaccinated and convalescent people are excluded. This should only apply from July 26th.
Large events with up to 25,000 spectators
The state government has also changed the Corona Protection Ordinance for major events and football games. Up to now, up to 25,000 spectators have been admitted there if the weekly incidence is below 35. Vaccinated and tested people are counted. The occupancy of the event locations should generally be a maximum of 50 percent. Prerequisites are a daily test (exception: those who have been completely vaccinated and those who have recovered) and a hygiene concept.
With an incidence of 50 and over, a maximum of 5,000 spectators are allowed at major events or football. If the incidence falls below ten – as is currently the case everywhere in Saxony – there is no mask requirement for major events with up to 5,000 visitors.
Vaccination centers completely without appointments
The corona vaccination will be easier from Wednesday. Appointments are then completely eliminated in the vaccination centers. “You can just go to the vaccination center and be vaccinated,” said Minister Köpping. So far, the rule has been that you could be vaccinated without an appointment from 2 p.m. in the vaccination centers.
Saxony was recently the only federal state that had not yet reached the 50 percent quota for first-time vaccinations. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 49.9 percent of citizens have received at least the first vaccination, 40 percent are fully vaccinated.