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Press Release from the State Government of Rheinland-Pfalz; from 16 FEB 2021
Courtesy Translation: Roland Schedel, Public Affairs Specialist
Minister President Malu Dreyer: With responsible openings and relaxations, step by step into normality
"We have finally reached the peak of the Omicron wave. The predictions have come true. Infection rates are dropping and we have managed to keep healthcare and public life stable with great public discipline and proactive actions to secure critical infrastructure. We can now look to the future with confidence. Although many people are still infected with the virus, we can assume that the infection figures will continue to decrease and that we can now take the first steps toward gradually withdrawing Corona restrictions. We agreed on this at the Conference of Minister Presidents," said Minister President Malu Dreyer.
Three steps --
"Step by step, we want to move toward normality, starting with the lifting of contact restrictions for vaccinated and recovered individuals and the lifting of the 2G rule in retail stores. This will make shopping possible for everyone regardless of vaccinated or recovered status. In a second step, we will repeal the 2Gplus rule in the restaurant industry beginning March 4. In restaurants and hotels, those who have recovered or have been vaccinated or tested will once again have these options available. Clubs and discotheques will open under 2Gplus rules and we will again allow more participants at major national events. In the third and final step, all major protection measures will be dropped starting on March 20, if the situation in hospitals allows it," said Minister President Malu Dreyer after the conference of the heads of government with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "We are not starting these relaxations overnight, but with a sense of proportion and in close consultation with the experts," emphasized Minister President Malu Dreyer.
Ability to act if infection situation makes this necessary
The federal and state governments have taken precautions to be able to act if the infection situation makes this necessary. Even after March 19, it will be possible for the federal states to react with basic protective measures. These include, in particular, mask requirements indoors in public facilities and on buses and trains, the distance requirement, general hygiene requirements, the possibility of providing for testing requirements in certain areas, and the obligation to provide evidence of vaccination, recovered and tested status. In addition, area-specific protective measures must continue to be possible for facilities with vulnerable persons (especially hospitals, nursing homes and similar facilities) in order to also effectively protect persons at risk. This was made clear today by the heads of government of the German states.
Should the incidence rate of the infection worsen significantly after March 20, 2022, and should more extensive protective measures be necessary to contain the virus, the German government will swiftly initiate the necessary legislative procedures to create the legal basis required for this. This is to include a regulation on supplementary protective measures in the event of a local outbreak in individual counties, districts or independent cities where there is a risk of overloading the local capacities of the healthcare system.
Extend testing strategy beyond March 31, 2022.
It is of central importance that masks will still be worn initially and that people with symptoms consistently isolate and test themselves. The federal government should develop a testing strategy beyond March 31, 2022, and extend the testing regulation, according to the Minister President.
Closing the vaccination gap
"Even in the spring, the federal states and the federal government are looking ahead to the fall. In order to be best protected against new virus variants, it is important to continue closing the vaccination gap. It's not over and it's up to all of us to defeat the virus," said Minister President Malu Dreyer. "Unvaccinated individuals, those over 60 years of age, and those with underlying diseases are at the highest risk for severe disease progression with the omicron infection. According to the expert council, these individuals will again become more infected and ill during the relaxations. I urge the 2.8 million unvaccinated people in this age group to get vaccinated. We will continue to intensively promote vaccination and offer low-threshold vaccination services. Vaccination helps, the triple vaccination is the best instrument to minimize the risk of a severe course of the disease and to save our country from a new wave in autumn", the Minister President underlined. "Consistent implementation of facility-based mandatory vaccination plays a major role in this." To better protect patients and those in need of care from Covid-19 disease, the state government implemented the facility-based vaccination requirement on March 15, she said. Employees in healthcare and long-term care facilities will be required to prove they have been vaccinated or that they have recovered.
Other important resolutions include:
• The classification of high-risk areas is to be reviewed and adjusted. Above all, this will make it easier for families to travel, as children under 12 are often not vaccinated and therefore cannot escape quarantine. In view of the new situation due to the Omicron variant and the high incidences in Germany, it is not justified to classify countries as high-risk areas mainly because of an incidence significantly above 100. The associated consequences according to the Corona entry regulation (especially quarantine obligations) are no longer appropriate here and disproportionately restrict the freedom to travel, as well as trade and economy;
• Children and young people have shown great solidarity over the past two years, but they are also suffering particularly from the pandemic and the associated restrictions. Therefore, every effort will be made to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on children and adolescents;
• the evaluation of the Infection Protection Act;
• effective monitoring of the disease burden;
• the definition of the vaccinated and recovered status will in future again be regulated directly in the text of the ordinance and not by referencing publications of the Robert Koch Institute or the Paul Ehrlich Institute.
• The Minister President welcomed the extension of the period of entitlement and special regulations for the short-time allowance. For example, she said that companies which have been affected by work stoppages since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic will still be able to claim short-time allowance after March 31. Bridging Assistance IV, a key Corona aid instrument, will also be extended until June 30, 2022, to provide proven support to companies in times of continued uncertainty. In addition, Minister President Malu Dreyer welcomed the fact that the federal government will extend aid from the Special Fund for Cultural Events.
• The following resolutions were passed, which will apply to Rheinland-Pfalz. The following system is based on the current situation assessment and forecast. Before each step is taken, it is necessary to check in both directions whether the planned measures are appropriate to the situation:
1. In a first step, private meetings for vaccinated and recovered persons will again be possible without limitation of the number of participants. Due to the particular vulnerability of the unvaccinated, the restrictions in place for these individuals will remain in place until March 19, 2022. Once an unvaccinated person attends a meeting, the contact restrictions for unvaccinated persons continue to apply: The meeting is then limited to the person's own household and no more than two people from another household. Children and adolescents up to the age of 14 are exempt.
Access to retail stores should be possible nationwide for all persons without controls. In any case, medical masks must be worn to take into account the still high risk of infection indoors. The use of FFP2 masks is recommended.
2. In a second step, taking into account the situation in hospitals, starting on March 4, 2022, access to Gastronomy will be made possible for vaccinated, recovered and persons with a daily test (3G regulation). Overnight accommodation will also be available to the vaccinated, recovered and persons with a day-case test (3G scheme).
Discotheques and clubs ("Tanzlustbarkeiten") are open for recovered and vaccinated persons with daily updated test or with booster vaccination (2G-Plus).
At major national events (including sports), recovered and vaccinated persons (2G regulation) or recovered and vaccinated persons with daily updated test or third vaccination (2GPlus regulation) may participate as spectators. For indoor events, a maximum occupancy of 60 percent of the respective maximum capacity is permitted, not to exceed 6,000 spectators. For outdoor events, a maximum occupancy of 75 percent of the respective maximum capacity is permitted, not to exceed 25,000 spectators. Medical masks (if possible FFP2 masks) have to be worn and hygiene concepts have to be in place.
3. In a third and final step, starting on March 20, 2022, all more in-depth protective measures will be omitted if the situation in the hospitals permits. Home office regulations, which are mandatory under the Infection Protection Act, will also be dropped. However, employers may continue to offer home office work in agreement with employees if there are no operational reasons to the contrary and this is in the interest of operational infection protection (e.g., when working in open-plan offices).
Source: https://www.rlp.de/de/service/pressemeldungen/einzelansicht/news/News/detail/ministerpraesidentin-malu-dreyer-mit-verantwortungsbewussten-oeffnungen-und-lockerungen-schrittweise-1/
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2022 02:51 |
| Story ID: | 415187 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN, HE, DE |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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