Before Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced stricter corona rules on Wednesday, he made it clear how difficult the situation in Bavaria is. In the nationwide top 25 corona hotspots, 16 Bavarian districts and independent cities are represented. To make matters worse, 4.6 million people in Bavaria are not vaccinated – about a third. Söder calls the situation “very, very worrying”. Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) also paints a serious picture of the situation in the clinics, whose intensive care units are overloaded in some regions. “That’s why we had to act today,” says Holetschek.
What will change for students?
After the autumn break, i.e. from the coming Monday, all schools in the Free State will again be required to wear a mask. The children in primary schools then have to wear a mask for one week, in secondary schools the rule applies for two weeks. The mask requirement applies everywhere in the school building, including in class – but not in the playground. Cloth masks are sufficient at primary schools, medical masks must be worn at other schools. The mask requirement is a protective measure, because after the autumn holidays many people returning from abroad come to the schools. What is then also new: If a pupil becomes infected with the coronavirus, the entire class must be tested every day for a week. Education Minister Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) appealed to parents to have themselves and their children tested before school starts on Monday.
What happens when the Bavarian hospital traffic light turns yellow?
So far, the following has been the case: The yellow warning level is reached if more than 1200 patients with corona infection have to be treated in hospitals in the Free State within seven days. This automatism still applies, but a second is added. Accordingly, the traffic light also jumps to yellow if more than 450 intensive care beds nationwide are occupied with Covid-infected people. If one of the two requirements applies, an FFP2 mask requirement comes into force again throughout Bavaria. In addition, the 3G plus rule then applies wherever the 3G rule currently applies. This means that in addition to those who have recovered and who have been fully vaccinated, only people with a negative PCR test have access. A negative rapid antigen test is then no longer enough. An exception applies to universities and libraries, here the 3-G rule still applies. Where 3G Plus currently applies, the 2-G rule comes into force when the yellow warning level is reached, for example in clubs and discos. In the future, neither tests nor vaccinations will be required in supermarkets and in public transport.
What if the traffic light turns red?
The red level is reached when more than 600 intensive care beds are occupied with corona infected people across Bavaria. Then the 2-G rule will be significantly expanded throughout the Free State. Restaurants, hotels and hairdressers, for example, are excluded – 3G Plus also applies to the red level. In the workplace, on the other hand, something will change. In companies with more than ten employees, the 3-G rule applies to employees who have contact with other people. Those who are not vaccinated must be tested twice a week. A simple quick test is sufficient.
When can you expect the traffic light to change?
On Wednesday, according to the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL), a total of 488 intensive care beds were occupied with corona infected people – which would have reached the yellow traffic light (450). If the infection dynamics continue, it is to be expected that stricter rules for the whole of Bavaria will apply from this Saturday, when the amended infection protection ordinance comes into force. If the current dynamics remain, the red level could also be reached in a few weeks.
What is happening in the corona hotspots?
With the amended Infection Protection Ordinance, there are also regionally different automatisms in addition to the nationwide hospital traffic lights. If at least 80 percent of the intensive care beds in a district that belongs to a control center area are occupied and the seven-day incidence there is above the 300 mark, the rules apply in the district that would apply to a red hospital traffic light throughout Bavaria. However, some districts have already introduced stricter rules.
Are the new rules controlled?
Yes. The state government has announced that it will strictly monitor compliance with the rules for 3G, 3G Plus and 2G at events or in the catering trade and consistently punish violations.
What is the Free State doing to speed up vaccinations?
According to Prime Minister Söder, around 90 percent of corona intensive care patients in Bavaria are unvaccinated. “If the vaccination does not improve, we are facing difficult times,” said Söder. It is important that all people who have already been vaccinated receive a booster quickly. “The booster is the best protection,” said Söder and announced that he would soon be vaccinated a third time. He also called it sensible that vaccinated people undergo an antibody test to find out whether their vaccination protection has decreased.
Will there be a lockdown again after all?
No, Söder assured on Wednesday. He also rejected private contact restrictions for unvaccinated people, as in Baden-Württemberg. “We do what is necessary,” said Söder. But it is also about preventing a split in society.