Reopening after Corona: who can do what?

Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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Relaxations: yes. But who is allowed to meet with whom, when the restaurants reopen and which children are looked after differs from state to state. An overview.

In the fight against the corona pandemic, the federal states can largely decide on their own responsibility to gradually open up public life. The regional development of the number of infections should also be taken into account.

Here is the current status (Saturday, May 17th) of the easing in the countries for some selected areas of life.

Important: As a rule, the loosening takes place under conditions such as distance and hygiene regulations. In addition, the nationwide mask requirement in trade and local transport continues to apply.

Restaurants

Baden-Württemberg: eateries are allowed to reopen on Monday.

Bavaria: Beer gardens and outdoor areas should open from Monday, indoor areas from May 25th.

Berlin: Eating in restaurants has been possible since Friday.

Brandenburg: Restaurants have been allowed to reopen since Friday.

Bremen: Visits to restaurants are possible from Monday. Guest lists with names and contact details are mandatory.

Hamburg: Restaurants are open again.

Hesse: Restaurants have been allowed to reopen since Friday, among other things, the waitress has to wear face masks.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Restaurants are open. One guest per table must leave their data.

Lower Saxony: Restaurants are open, but may only allocate a maximum of half of their seats.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Restaurants are open. Among other things, the contact details of every visitor must be registered.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Restaurants are allowed to open under certain conditions, among other things opening times are limited and seats at counters are taboo for guests.

Saarland: Restaurant visits are possible from Monday.

Saxony: restaurants have been allowed to reopen since Friday. Menus must be wipeable.

Saxony-Anhalt: The restaurants are allowed to reopen on May 22nd - with special permission from the district, even from Monday.

Schleswig-Holstein: Dining in restaurants is possible again from Monday.

Thuringia: Restaurants can open since Friday.

Hotels and apartments

Baden-Württemberg: Holiday apartments can reopen on Monday, hotels from May 29th.

Bavaria: We aim to open by May 30th.

Berlin: Hotels and holiday apartments can open from May 25th.

Brandenburg: Holiday apartments have been able to accept guests since Friday, hotels from May 25th.

Bremen: Hotels and holiday apartments are allowed to open from Monday.

Hamburg: Hotels and holiday apartments are allowed to receive guests.

Hessen: Hotels and holiday apartments have been allowed to accept tourists since Friday.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: For residents of the state, hotels and holiday apartments open from Monday, for all others an entry ban applies until May 25th.

Lower Saxony: Holiday apartments may be operated, hotels should follow from May 25th with a maximum occupancy of 50 percent.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Holiday apartments can be used for tourism again, hotels are to follow from Monday.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Hotels and holiday apartments are allowed to reopen to tourists from May 18th.

Saarland: Hotels and holiday apartments are allowed to reopen from Monday.

Saxony: Hotels and holiday apartments have been open since Friday.

Saxony-Anhalt: Holiday apartments have been open since Friday, hotels are to follow on May 22nd - initially for guests from their own country. Shortly afterwards, visits from other regions should also be possible.

Schleswig-Holstein: Visits are possible from Monday.

Thuringia: Hotels and holiday apartments have been able to open since Friday.

Contact terms

Baden-Württemberg: It is also permitted to stay outside with members of another household. Meetings with siblings and their families as well as people from another household are possible in private rooms.

Bavaria: Several members of two households can meet in both private and public spaces.

Berlin: Several members of two households can meet in both private and public spaces.

Brandenburg: Contacts from two households are allowed - at home and outdoors.

Bremen: Several relatives from two households can meet in public space.

Hamburg: Up to ten members of two households can meet again without maintaining a minimum distance of 1.50 meters.

Hessen: Members of two households are again allowed to travel together in public spaces.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Several members of two households can meet in public and private areas.

Lower Saxony: Members of two households are allowed to meet in public.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Members from two families are allowed to meet in public.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Relatives from up to two households can meet in public spaces.

Saarland: Relatives from up to two households can meet inside as well as outside.

Saxony: Two households have been able to meet since Friday.

Saxony-Anhalt: Meetings of up to five people are allowed, even if they do not live together in one household.

Schleswig-Holstein: Several members of two households can meet in both private and public spaces.

Thuringia: The members of two households are allowed to meet outside and inside.

Demonstrations (while maintaining the minimum distance)

Baden-Württemberg: Meetings are allowed - with conditions to ensure protection against infection - for example about intervals or maximum number of participants.

Bavaria: Decisions about demonstrations should be made on a case-by-case basis. It is particularly important to the government that the meeting places offer enough space for the minimum distance.

Berlin: From Monday, meetings in closed rooms with up to 50 participants are allowed. From May 25th, up to 100 people can take part in open-air gatherings, up to now there have been 50.

Brandenburg: Meetings with up to 50 people are allowed with a special permit.

Bremen: Meetings must be reported and can be officially prohibited, restricted or made subject to conditions in order to protect against infection.

Hamburg: Meetings are prohibited, exceptions can be approved in the open air.

Hessen: Are allowed under certain conditions. In principle, events for up to 100 people no longer have to be approved if a hygiene and distance concept is in place.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: From Monday on, outdoor events with up to 150 participants are allowed.

Lower Saxony: The authorities can grant exemptions for demonstrations and gatherings in the open air.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Demonstrations are generally allowed - provided the distance rules are observed and a maximum number of participants, calculated on the total area.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Meetings in the open air can be permitted in individual cases subject to conditions.

Saarland: Meetings within the meaning of the Assembly Act in the open air are again permitted under special conditions if the hygiene regulations can be adhered to.

Saxony: Since Friday, rallies are no longer limited to a certain number of participants.

Saxony-Anhalt: Demonstrations are possible if the assembly authority allows them together with the health department. There is no general maximum limit for participants.

Schleswig-Holstein: Meetings are prohibited, but exceptions are possible.

Thuringia: Demonstrations without restrictions on the number of participants are possible.

Schools and daycare centers

Baden-Württemberg: Many students are already going back to school. In the middle of June, all students should then be given face-to-face tuition at least temporarily. According to a decision by the Corona steering group, daycare centers are allowed to reopen for a maximum of 50 percent of the children from Monday.

Bavaria: Some years are back in schools, only after the Whitsun holidays in mid-June should all students go to school at least on a daily basis. As a rule, emergency care is still available in the daycare centers.

Berlin: By the summer, every daycare child should receive a childcare offer again. By the end of May, all students should go to schools with a reduced number of hours.

Brandenburg: All Brandenburg children can go to school or daycare again from May 25 until the summer holidays at the end of June - at least on a daily basis.

Bremen: From June 1st, all preschool children will come back to daycare centers. From Monday, grades 1 to 3 will gradually be brought back to primary schools.

Hamburg: From May 25th, all students should have lessons in the school at least once a week. Daycare centers will gradually go into regular operation from Monday.

Hessen: Daycare centers are to gradually switch to restricted normal operation at the beginning of June. Classes in schools have gradually started again.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The students are already gradually returning to schools. On May 25th, a limited entry into the daycare standard care is to take place.

Lower Saxony: The return to regular operation in the daycare centers is planned for August 1st. Schoolchildren are gradually returning, from June 15 onwards all grades will have lessons in schools again.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Kita children and schoolchildren are gradually returning. From the end of May, all pupils are to receive face-to-face lessons on a daily basis, and from September there will be "restricted regular operations" for all daycare children.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Classes have started again in stages, all students should be back to school by mid-June. The daycare centers will be open to everyone by the summer holidays at the latest.

Saarland: Daycare centers and schools should "be as regular as possible again" by the summer holidays at the latest.

Saxony: Saxony's daycare centers and primary schools are to open to all children in restricted regular operations from Monday. Primary school students are not required to attend school until June 5th. From Monday onwards, pupils in secondary schools are to be taught at least partially in schools again.

Saxony-Anhalt: So far, all grades should have returned to the schools for at least one day for a direct exchange with their teachers. At day care centers, models are discussed in which children take turns to the day care center.

Schleswig-Holstein: School should start again for other years from May 25th. This applies to grades 1 to 3 at elementary schools and grades 8, 9 and 10 at community schools and grammar schools. From June 1 on, the daycare centers will be subject to restricted regular operations.

Thuringia: The municipalities can decide for themselves whether restricted regular operations should be started in the kindergartens as early as Monday. This should start in all daycare centers by June 15 at the latest. In the schools, all pupils should be able to take part in face-to-face classes again after Whitsun at the latest.