Status: 06.01.2022 7:07 p.m.
The federal and state governments are planning the nationwide introduction of the 2G plus rule in gastronomy. This emerges from the draft resolution for the upcoming deliberations, which the ARD capital studio is present. In addition, the quarantine times are to be shortened.
The draft resolution from the Chancellery, which has apparently been agreed with the state chancelleries of the federal states, contains fifteen points. But only two points are really new: Access to the catering trade is to be further restricted – regardless of the incidence on site. As early as January 15, restaurant visits – even for those who have been vaccinated and recovered – may only be possible with a daily negative test result. Then the so-called 2G-Plus regulation applies there.
Guests who have already received a booster vaccination should be excluded. The booster detection could start counting from the day of vaccination. In the current version of the draft resolution, however, the start date for this regulation is still in square brackets. That means: January 15th still has to be discussed between the Prime Ministers and the Chancellery.
The template also gives a reason for this tightening: masks cannot be worn permanently in restaurants and cafés, so that the virus variant is particularly easy to transmit there.
New quarantine rules for contact persons
In addition, the federal and state governments apparently agreed on new rules for isolating sick people and for quarantining contact persons. These were based on the recommendation of the Federal Government’s Expert Council. So far, contact persons of a person infected with the Omikron virus variant have been subject to a strict quarantine of 14 days, which cannot be prematurely ended with a negative test. The federal and state governments now want to change that slightly.
Contact persons who have already received a booster vaccination, i.e. who have been boosted, should be exempt from quarantine. This also applies to comparable groups, such as those who have recently been vaccinated or those who have recovered. According to the definition of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), you are newly vaccinated twice if the second vaccination was at least 14 days and a maximum of two months ago. For all other groups, isolation or quarantine should generally end after ten days.
Possibility to test free after seven days
Since the federal and state governments are concerned that many quarantine cases lead to problems with the so-called critical infrastructure, free testing using a PCR test or certified rapid antigen test should be possible after seven days. For employees in hospitals, nursing homes and integration assistance facilities, isolation can be terminated after seven days after infection with an obligatory negative PCR test. However, only if those affected had been symptom-free for 48 hours beforehand.
There should also be new rules for schoolchildren and children in daycare centers or kindergartens. Here, the quarantine could be ended after five days with a PCR test or a rapid antigen test. The reason for the shortening is indicated that these children would be tested regularly anyway.
It has not yet been clarified when the next Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK) will take place. But the paper says that there should be an appointment in January.