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Press Release from the Federal Government of Germany; www.bundesregierung.de from 28 OCT 2020
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Community Relations, and Lena Stange, Public Affairs Specialist
Video conference of the chancellor and the heads of government of the German federal states Oct. 28, 2020
Fight against the SARS-Cov2 pandemic
The federal chancellor and the heads of government of the German federal states adopt the following resolution:
Despite the measures that the federal and state governments agreed upon two weeks ago, the number of infections with the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is now increasing exponentially in almost all regions of Germany. As a result, numerous health authorities can no longer guarantee complete contact tracing, which in turn contributes to the accelerated spread of the virus. Currently, the number of infected people is doubling approximately every seven days and the number of intensive care patients about every ten days. According to the statistics of the Robert Koch Institute, the contagion circumstances are unclear in more than 75% of cases on the national average. In order to avoid an acute national health emergency, it is now necessary to stop the infection process by significantly reducing the number of contacts in the population as a whole and to reduce the number of new infections to the traceable number of under 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in one week.
Without such restrictions, the further exponential growth in the number of infected people would inevitably, within a few weeks, overwhelm the health system, and the number of severe courses of infection and deaths would increase significantly. It is also essential to react quickly now. The later the infection dynamics are reversed, the longer or more extensive restrictions are required. The federal and state governments are striving to quickly interrupt the dynamic of the infection so that on the one hand schools and kindergartens can remain open and on the other hand no far-reaching restrictions on personal contacts and economic activity are required during the Christmas season. Families and friends should be able to meet during the Christmas season even under Corona conditions. As in spring, this now requires a joint national effort by the federal government and all states.
The federal and state governments are aware that the restrictions are a huge burden for the population. Therefore, we owe a big thank you to the vast majority of the population who have been following these measures with public spirit and patience so far and will continue to do so in the future, and especially to those who ensure the practical implementation of the measures and of course also to those who do their service in the health system.
The situation is again very serious. Four difficult winter months lie ahead of us. But the federal and state governments look to the future with confidence. The advances in the development of a vaccine and the easier infection control in the summer give us hope that Germany, if it gets through this winter well, can gradually overcome the pandemic in the next year and also recover economically.
Against this background, the federal chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states agree to supplement their previous resolutions:
1. Starting on the 2nd of November, the additional measures set out below will enter into force throughout Germany. The measures will be in effect until the end of November. In two weeks, the Federal Chancellor and the Heads of the State Governments will consult again and assess the objectives achieved by the measures and make necessary adjustments.
2. The most important measure in the coming period will be to keep distance and reduce contacts. Citizens are being urged to reduce contacts with other people outside their own homes to an absolutely necessary minimum.
3. From now on, the stay in public is only permitted with the members of the own and one other household, but in any case is limited to a maximum of 10 persons. This is binding and violations of these contact restrictions are sanctioned accordingly by the regulatory authorities. Groups of people celebrating in public places, in apartments and in private institutions are unacceptable given the seriousness of the situation in our country. The Federal Government and the State Governments are working together on stricter controls.
4. Citizens are generally encouraged to refrain from unnecessary private travel and visits - including relatives. This also applies within Germany and to interregional touristic day trips. Overnight accommodation offers in Germany are only made available for necessary and expressly not touristic purposes.
5. Institutions that offer leisure activities will be closed. These include:
a. Theaters, operas, concert halls and similar establishments
b. Fairs, movie theaters, amusement parks and leisure activity offers (inside and outside), arcades, casinos, betting venues and similar establishments
c. Prostitution sites, brothels and similar facilities
d. Recreational and non-professional sports, with the exception of individual sports performed alone, in pairs or with members of ones own household on and in all public and private sports facilities
e. Swimming and fun baths, saunas and thermal baths
f. Fitness centers and similar facilities
6. Events for entertainment are prohibited. Professional sports events can only take place without spectators.
7. Restaurants, bars, clubs, discos, pubs and similar establishments will be closed. This does not apply to the delivery and pick-up of food for consumption at home and the operation of canteens.
8. Services in the field of personal care such as cosmetic studios, massage practices, tattoo studios and similar establishments are closed, because in this area a physical proximity is unavoidable. Medically necessary treatments, such as physical therapy, ergo and logo therapy as well as podiatry/foot care, remain possible. Hair salons remain open under the existing hygiene requirements.
9. The wholesale and retail trade remains open with rules in place for hygiene, access control and the avoidance of queues. It is important to ensure that there is no more than one customer per 10 square meters of retail space in the shops.
10. Schools and kindergartens remain open. The individual states decide on the necessary safety measures.
11. For the companies, self-employed, associations and institutions affected by the temporary closures, the government will provide exceptional economic assistance to compensate them for financial losses. The refund amount amounts to 75% of the income of the previous year’s corresponding month for companies with up to 50 employees, while for the fixed costs of the company a lump-sum is given out. The percentages for larger companies are calculated in accordance with the ceilings of the relevant state aid requirements. The funds available for this financial assistance are budgeted with up to 10 billion.
12. In addition to the extensive temporary restrictions, the measures taken so far mean that some sectors of the economy will continue to face significant restrictions on their business operations in the coming months. For this reason, the Federal Government will extend aid measures for companies and improve conditions for the main sectors of the economy concerned (Überbrückungshilfe III). This applies, for example, to the cultural and event industry and to the solo self-employed. In addition, the “KfW Schnellkredit” will be opened and adjusted for companies with fewer than 10 employees.
13. In the pandemic, too, we want to make safe work environments possible in industry, crafts and small and medium-sized enterprises. Employers have a special responsibility to protect their employees from infection. Infection chains that arise during operation must be quickly identified. For this reason, every company in Germany must also implement a hygiene concept on the basis of an adapted risk assessment as well as on the operational pandemic planning, and adapt it again in view of the increased infection numbers. The aim is, among other things, to avoid unnecessary contacts in the workforce and with customers, to implement general hygiene measures and to minimize the risks of infection in the event of necessary contacts through special hygiene and protective measures. The federal and state governments are urging companies to enable telework or mobile work at home, given the high number of infections, wherever possible. The authorities responsible for occupational health and safety and accident insurance institutions advise companies on this and carry out checks.
14. Unfortunately, increasing infection rates also lead to an increase in infections in medical facilities and among vulnerable groups. Protecting them is a particular challenge. For this reason, the responsible authorities have taken special precautions for hospitals, nursing homes and homes for senior citizens and the disabled, depending on the local circumstances. It is always taken into account that the regulations do not lead to a complete social isolation of those affected. As the number of infections increases, these measures are adjusted accordingly. Through the new testing ordinance, the federal government has ensured that the costs of the recently available SARS-CoV2 rapid tests for regular testing of residents, patients and their visitors, is covered. The available rapid tests should now be used quickly and as a priority in this area in order to ensure the best possible protection and safe contacts, even with increasing infection rates. Social and youth welfare institutions and similar counselling centers will remain open. Hospitals will continue to be supported in the provision of intensive care beds. The health ministers of the federal and state governments will develop practical solutions in a timely manner, including the continuation of financial support. Hospitals that are particularly burdened by the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 patients may deviate from the requirements without penalty, as provided for in the so-called “Pflegepersonaluntergrenzen-Verordnung.”
15. The federal government and the state governments will once again strengthen the information on the existing Corona measures and increase clarity by taking measures that are as uniform as possible. However, they will also increase compliance controls across the board, also by means of random checks, particularly in the area close to the border, to verify compliance with the quarantine regulations.
16. The federal government and the state governments are aware that these are very drastic measures. However, they are necessary and proportionate to the legal rights of the public to be protected and to avert even greater economic damage in the event of an out-of-control pandemic development.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.29.2020 07:05 |
| Story ID: | 381977 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN, HESSEN, DE |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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