At its meeting today, the state government decided on far-reaching restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The regulations will apply from Wednesday, 16 December 2020.
Excerpts from the state government's press release dated 14 December 2020:
"Everyone is obliged to reduce physical contact with each other to an absolute minimum. Entering public areas is only permitted if there is a valid reason. The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all public spaces. Many shops and hairdressers will have to close to the public. The sale of pyrotechnics is prohibited. The use of firecrackers at the turn of the year will be banned in locally designated areas. As of today (14 December), compulsory attendance at face-to-face classes in schools has already been suspended. This was done independently of the new ordinance by the Ministry of Education due to school organisation regulations. Daycare centres remain open. [...]
The quarantine regulation has also been tightened in one important point: so-called small border traffic, for example to Poland (up to 24-hour stay), is no longer exempt from the quarantine obligation. However, this does not apply if there are valid reasons for crossing the border. [...]
Social distancing and hygiene rules
In order to contain the further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, it is necessary to limit contact and implement important infection prevention measures. The focus is on the so-called AHA+C+L formula. This means
- Keep your distance,
- Observe hygiene,
- Wear an everyday mask (mouth-nose cover)
- Use the Corona APP and regularly
- Airing. [...]
There are exceptions to the distance requirement, for example, for spouses or life partners, for members of one's own household and for persons for whom there is a right of custody or a statutory or court-ordered right of access. [...]
Contact and exit restrictions
Private gatherings with family, friends or acquaintances are still limited to your own household and one other household. If people from another household come to visit, the meeting must be limited to a maximum of five people in total (plus children up to the age of 14 from these two households). This applies to meetings in private homes and gardens as well as in public or rented rooms.
Christmas: From 24 to 26 December (Christmas Eve, 1st and 2nd Christmas Day), more contact within the immediate family circle is possible. During this period, private meetings with members of your own household and with up to four other people from your immediate family and circle of friends are permitted without a limit on the number of households (plus children up to the age of 14 from these households). The immediate family includes spouses, life partners and partners in a non-marital partnership, as well as relatives in a direct line, siblings, siblings' children and their respective household members. [...]
Appeal: In view of the continuing high incidence of infection, the state government is making an urgent appeal to all citizens to reduce contacts to an absolute minimum in the seven days before planned family gatherings ("protection week").
Events without entertainment character are still possible in the open air with a maximum of 100 people present at the same time and in closed rooms with a maximum of 50 people present at the same time. Organisers must take appropriate organisational measures to ensure the following on the basis of an individual hygiene concept:
- the observance of social distancing between all participants,
- controlling and restricting the access and stay of participants,
- the mandatory wearing of a face mask by participants; at weekly markets, the obligation to wear a face mask also applies on the paths and areas between the individual market stalls,
- the recording of personal data in a contact record for the purpose of contact tracing (except at weekly markets); participants must provide their personal data completely and truthfully. [...]
Exit restrictions
Access to public areas is only permitted if there is a valid reason. Valid reasons are in particular
- the visit of spouses and partners as well as cohabiting partners,
- the exercise of custody or a statutory or court-ordered right of access,
- the accompaniment of people in need of support,
- Accompanying and caring for the dying or people in acutely life-threatening situations,
- the utilisation of medical, nursing and therapeutic services,
- the utilisation of veterinary services and the care and treatment of animals,
- the prevention of danger to life, limb and property,
- going to the place of work and carrying out professional, official or voluntary activities to fulfil public-law duties,
- participation in gatherings within the meaning of the Assembly Act, religious events, non-religious weddings and funerals,
- participation in events and gatherings not prohibited under the Containment Ordinance,
- the implementation of animal disease control measures and hunting by persons authorised and appointed to hunt,
- attendance at child day care facilities within the meaning of the Child Day Care Centre Act, after-school care facilities, schools, universities and other educational, training and further education institutions,
- visiting facilities and businesses not closed in accordance with this Ordinance and using the permitted services,
- doing sport alone, as a couple or with members of your own household, as well as exercising in the fresh air,
- the performance of accompanied outdoor activities with children up to the age of 14, in particular by primary schools, day-care centres, day-care facilities and child, youth and integration assistance facilities and as part of neighbourhood-organised childcare,
- attending appointments with authorities, courts, bailiffs, tax consultants, lawyers and notaries,
- the donation of blood, blood plasma and bone marrow,
- the cultivation of horticultural, agricultural and forestry land.
Tightening of curfew restrictions at night: In the period from 22:00 to 05:00 the following day, access to public spaces is only permitted in the cases of the listed valid reasons numbers 1 to 11 and in other comparably important exceptional cases. [...]
Alcohol ban
The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in public spaces throughout the day. This applies nationwide. This means that "mulled wine to go" is no longer permitted, especially during the Christmas period.
New Year's Eve
The sale of pyrotechnics is prohibited. This means that rockets, firework batteries and firecrackers may not be sold at all in Brandenburg. Setting off New Year's Eve fireworks is strongly discouraged.
Retail, services, catering
Retail: Retail outlets and establishments open to the public or accessible to the public as part of a visitor or customer traffic must be closed to the public.
Exceptions: This closure order does not apply to
- Grocery shops and beverage markets,
- Drugstores, pharmacies, medical supply stores, health food stores,
- Book trade and newspaper and magazine trade
- Pet supplies trade and feed markets,
- DIY and garden centres with access only for customers with a trade licence,
- agricultural direct marketers of food,
- Petrol stations,
- Tobacco trade,
- Sales stands at weekly markets limited to the product ranges authorised for stationary retail under this ordinance,
- Christmas tree sales points,
- Banks and savings banks as well as post offices,
- Opticians and hearing aid acousticians,
- Dry cleaners and launderettes,
- Workshops for bicycles and motor vehicles,
- Pick-up and delivery services. [...]
Body-related services
All body-related services where the distance requirement between service providers and service recipients cannot be met due to the nature of the service are prohibited. In addition to beauty salons, massage practices, tattoo studios and similar businesses, hairdressing salons must also close from 16 December.
Exceptions to this are services in the healthcare sector and other helping professions, insofar as they provide medically, nursing or therapeutically necessary services. These include, in particular, physiotherapy or occupational therapy, speech therapy, podiatry and foot care that is not purely for cosmetic purposes.
Restaurants and similar establishments
Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés are still closed to the public. This has been the case since 2 November 2020.
Visits to hospitals and care homes
Visits to retirement and care homes, hospitals and similar facilities are more restricted in terms of the number of visitors and the time window: Each patient or resident may receive a maximum of one visitor per day. However, this person limit does not apply to those accompanying the dying.
Visitors must wear an FFP2 mask during their entire stay in the facility and in the associated outdoor areas. The obligation to wear a mask does not apply to visitors who have tested negative using a rapid antigen test in accordance with RKI requirements immediately before visiting the facility. [...]
Schools and daycare centres - regulations from 14 December to 18 December 2020
From 14 December until the weekend before the holidays, compulsory attendance at schools in Brandenburg will be suspended. This means that lessons will take place, but parents/guardians can decide whether their child attends in-person lessons at school. Exceptions to this are the final year classes (year 10 at all school types, year 12 at grammar schools and year 13 at comprehensive schools and vocational schools and ZBW), which will continue to be taught in attendance. In addition, pupils in their final year remain in attendance in their respective educational programme. The "intellectual development" special schools will remain open. However, the legal guardians of these pupils can also decide whether their child takes part in face-to-face lessons. Alternating lessons that have already been introduced will remain in place until the start of the holidays. Singing lessons and playing wind instruments are prohibited.
Day nurseries, kindergartens, after-school care centres, day care centres and other childcare facilities remain open.
Regulations from 4 January
From 4 January, face-to-face teaching in schools is prohibited. Only distance learning will take place. This does not apply to pupils with a special educational focus on "intellectual development", pupils in the final year (year 10 at all types of schools, year 12 at grammar schools and year 13 at comprehensive schools and vocational schools and ZBW) and pupils in the final year of training for the respective vocational training programme.
Pupils for whom no face-to-face teaching takes place are obliged to take part in distance learning.
The holding of examinations scheduled during this period in accordance with the Crafts Code and Vocational Training Act on the premises of the upper secondary school centres remains permitted. For the final-year classes, all locally available rooms are to be used for face-to-face teaching, especially from January, in order to maintain the distance of 1.50 metres.
Day nurseries, kindergartens, day care centres and other pre-school services remain open.
From 4 January 2021, after-school care for primary school children is prohibited. The after-school care centre will organise emergency care for children in years one to four as part of the day care service.
This applies to:
- Children who need to be looked after in the best interests of the child,
- Children whose legal guardians are employed in critical infrastructure areas within or outside the state of Brandenburg, insofar as home or other individual or private care cannot be organised.
- Who belongs to this group of people is yet to be determined. Information will be provided in due course.
- From 4 January 2021, the primary school will be responsible for emergency care for the first to fourth grades during school hours and will be organised in the same way as after-school care.
- Practical school sports in halls, including swimming lessons, are prohibited for all year groups until 13 January 2021, with the exception of special schools for sport and special classes for sport. [...]
Closure order
There are no changes here. The offices remain closed to the public:
- Theatres, concert halls and opera houses (except drive-in cinemas, theatres and drive-in concerts),
- Museums, exhibition centres, planetariums,
- Trade fairs, exhibitions, special markets, funfairs, public festivals,
- Discos, clubs, music clubs and similar establishments,
- Cinemas (except drive-in cinemas),
- Gaming arcades, casinos, betting shops,
- Animal parks, zoological and botanical gardens,
- Swimming pools, fun and leisure pools,
- Saunas, steam baths, spas and wellness centres,
- Solariums,
- Fitness studios,
- Amusement parks,
- Prostitution establishments and vehicles, brothels, swingers clubs and similar offers; prostitution events may not be organised.