Courtesy Translation: Hessen creates clarity and uniformity with new regulations

Courtesy Photo | Icon to accompany courtesy translations from the state of Hessen  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

01.19.2022

Story by Nadine Bower 

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden   

Press Release from the Hessen State Government from 16 JAN 2022
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Public Affairs Specialist

Hessen creates clarity and uniformity with new regulations
As announced, the Hessen state government has adapted the current Coronavirus Protection Ordinance to the current resolutions of the Minister-Presidents' Conference (MPK), after the Bundestag and Bundesrat had created the legal prerequisites for this.

Key changes include:

- Standardization and shortening of quarantine periods
- Incidence-independent Hessen-wide introduction of the 2G-Plus rule in indoor gastronomy (2G in outdoor gastronomy)
- Alignment of maximum event size to 1,000 participants outdoors; so far, this has been limited to 250. Indoors, it remains at a maximum of 250 participants.
- Vaccinated and recovered school students can now also participate in all regular student tests and thus achieve the status of 2G-Plus.
- Recommendation to wear FFP2 masks when shopping, in stores and when using public transport.

The number of infections is currently rising nationwide. In Hessen, the incidence is now 602.3 statewide. This is due to the highly contagious Omikron variant, which also accounts for an ever-increasing proportion of new infections in Hessen. At the same time, the situation in hospitals remains largely stable, and the number of intensive care patients is currently even falling slightly. "Therefore, we can start aligning and shortening the quarantine regulations responsibly - as agreed in the MPK - and enabling testing out earlier," says Bouffier. "With this, we are pursuing the goal of ensuring that the critical infrastructure in our state in particular continues to function despite high numbers of infections. Due to the rapid spread of the Omikron variant, personnel shortfalls threaten many important areas such as the police, the fire brigade, the electricity and gas suppliers. We are in regular contact with companies and institutions, so that we are prepared for this situation. No one has to worry that system-relevant areas could come to a standstill."

However, the head of government continued, it is also clear that new provisions alone are not enough to end the pandemic. "Especially with regard to Omikron, it is currently more important than ever to get vaccinated. In particular, the booster vaccination helps to reduce the risk of infection and to protect against a severe course. Currently, the federal government supplies enough vaccine to Hessen and there are sufficient possibilities to easily arrange a vaccination appointment. I appeal to all citizens to seize this opportunity so that we can look forward together. Compliance with the applicable hygiene and distance regulations also remains of utmost importance."

The Coronavirus Protection Ordinance is valid until February 10, 2022.

The following updated rules will apply starting tomorrow, Jan. 17, 2022, in Hessen:

Definition and access rules for 2G-Plus based on the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI):

Access is therefore granted to persons with the following proof:

- Double vaccinated and tested individuals
- Recovered and tested individuals
- Triple vaccinated (boostered) individuals
- Recovered and double vaccinated individuals
- Double vaccinated and recovered individuals (New)
- Vaccinated, recovered, vaccinated (New)
- Freshly vaccinated twice (max. 3 months, from the day of the second vaccination) (New)
- Freshly recovered (max. 3 months, from the day of the positive PCR test) (New)
- Recovered + freshly vaccinated once (max. 3 months, from the day of vaccination) (New)

Exemptions

- Children up to school enrolment (no need for testing)
- Children and adolescents under the age of 18 and people who cannot be vaccinated need an up-to-date test or a test booklet.
- Double-vaccinated or recovered school students, with test booklet

New isolation and quarantine regulations for infected individuals, household members and contact persons:

(there is no longer a differentiation between Omikron and Delta variant)

Rules for the isolation of corona-infected people (regardless of vaccination status) with positive rapid or PCR test

- 10 days of isolation. An order by the health department is not necessary.
- Testing-out is possible after 7 days with a quick test from a test site or a PCR test.
- Special rules apply to employees in hospitals and old people's and nursing homes: Resuming work is only possible after free-testing with a PCR test after seven days. The prerequisite for this is that individuals are symptom-free for at least 48 hours.

Rules for quarantine of household members of corona-infected people (e.g. partners, parents, children, etc.):

- Generally, 10 days of quarantine apply, an order by the health department is not necessary.
- Testing-out is possible after 7 days with a rapid test from a test site or a PCR test.
- School students and toddlers can test out after just 5 days.

Household members with the following proof are exempt from quarantine:

- Triple vaccinated (boostered)
- Recovered and double vaccinated
- Double vaccinated and recovered
- Vaccinated, recovered, vaccinated
- Freshly vaccinated twice (max. 3 months, from the day of the second vaccination)
- Freshly recovered (max. 3 months, from the day of the positive PCR test)
- Recovered + freshly vaccinated once (max. 3 months, from the day of vaccination)

Rules for quarantining of other contact persons of corona-infected people:

- This order is made exclusively by the health authority.
- Generally, the same quarantine rules and exemptions apply as for household members.

Source: https://www.hessen.de/Presse/Mit-den-neuen-Regelungen-schafft-Hessen-Klarheit-und-Einheitlichkeit

• Date Taken: 01.19.2022
• Date Posted: 01.20.2022 03:13
• Story ID: 413067
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE