Due to the omicron strain, the federal and state governments want to introduce the “2G–plus»For restaurants and pubs throughout Germany.
Today, from 11:00, the heads of the federal states are meeting in the format of a videoconference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss issues of reducing quarantine, developing an emergency response plan, and introducing the 2G-Plus rule.
The focus is on the ever-increasing number of infections caused by the omicron. Experts expect this strain to be dominant in Germany soon. It already predominates in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bremen, Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Brandenburg. On Thursday, January 6, health authorities reported 64,340 new cases of coronavirus infection to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). This is 20,000 more cases than in the previous week (42,770). The federal states want to be able to react quickly to the situation.
According to BILD, the meeting is discussing the introduction of the “2G-Plus” model for public places such as restaurants, cultural and sports events, where masks cannot be worn at all times and the virus is transmitted especially easily there. This means that only those vaccinated with a negative coronavirus test will have access.
If 2G-plus does go into effect, it will be “a disaster for cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants,” says Ingrid Hartges, head of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga). In December alone, the industry had to announce a roughly 50% drop in sales due to the cancellation of Christmas parties and additional restrictions on contacts. “Already now, more than half of our companies fear for their existence again,” continues Hartges. And further sales losses due to the lack of regular customers due to the “2G-plus” rule are not yet taken into account. According to Hartges, the government wants to get a high level of revaccinations, including in the catering sector, but landlords should not suffer if the government wants to create “incentives.” Because, according to the draft decree, those who have undergone revaccination should be exempted from mandatory additional testing. In addition, “it is doubtful on what legal basis this intervention is based, if neither morbidity nor hospitalization plays a role,” continued Hartges.
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