Most of the Corona rules in Germany will no longer apply on March 20th. In so-called hotspots, a few of them still exist.
Germany / NRW – Despite the increasing number of corona infections *, the federal government sees itself on a safe course and wants to lift many corona measures on Sunday (March 20th). According to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), measures such as 3G or contact restrictions should still be able to take effect in particularly stressed hotspots. But what exactly will this hotspot regulation look like? RUHR24* has the answers.
| virus | Coronavirus |
| Currently dominant variant | omicron |
| Current incidence in NRW | 1,349.8 (as of March 14) |
Corona rules in Germany should fall on March 20th: Lauterbach still has hope
The nationwide seven-day incidence on Monday (March 14) was 1,543.0 – in North Rhine-Westphalia it was 1,349.8. The corona numbers are high and yet a number of measures such as the obligation to wear a mask indoors * are to be dropped as early as next Sunday (March 20).
“I still have hope that we can manage the increase,” said Lauterbach last week in Berlin. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) also believes that the plan for March 20th could “control the situation well”. After all, the hotspot regulation would leave several options open to control the infection process in regions particularly affected by corona.
Stricter corona rules even after March 20th: This is how the government wants to make it possible
Means: If the corona numbers increase sharply in certain areas in Germany or NRW*, it should be possible to introduce new measures regionally or even throughout the federal state. Then opening steps that take effect on March 20th would be withdrawn again.
Lauterbach, who had already agreed on a corresponding legal basis with Buschmann, explained in the “ZDF-Morgenmagazin”: “Open everything, of course that is not planned.” The hotspot rule is an instrument “with which the countries can immediately react to new outbreaks or outbreaks be able to react to high numbers of cases. ”In this way, despite comprehensive opening steps, possible corona waves could be gotten under control in autumn and winter (more about the corona virus in NRW* on RUHR24).
Corona rules from March 20th: Which measures should apply to hotspots
The approval of the parliaments of the federal states is still missing for a legal anchoring of the hotspot rule. If they agree, the following corona measures could be imposed in hotspots beyond March 20 in the event of a “dynamically spreading infection situation”:
- Mask requirement, distance rules and various hygiene concepts (e.g. in restaurants or leisure facilities)
- A reintroduction of 2G or 3G at events or when visiting leisure and cultural facilities
- Compulsory testing in schools and nursing homes
According to Omikron: Hotspot regulation could also apply to new corona virus variants
Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) said to ZDF in relation to the new rules from March 20: “This is the ideal compromise, on the one hand to get as much normality as possible for the citizens and on the other hand to be able to act if it there is actually a specific risk situation.”
In order to determine a dangerous situation that makes a hotspot regulation necessary, either the number of infections must be particularly high or a new, more dangerous corona virus variant must spread.
New Corona rules from March 20th: Hotspot regulation should remain in place until September 23rd
The new rules are limited to September 23, 2022. This named “expiry date” is particularly important, because it means people can be sure “that all corona measures will expire in autumn, should the situation not require a reassessment,” said Stephan Thomae, parliamentary manager of the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag the WAZ . *RUHR24 is part of the IPPEN.MEDIA editorial network.
List of rubrics: © Imago/Michael Gstettenbauer
