UPDATE, 31 October 2020, 16:40:
You will now find the SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance and the Annex to the Containment Ordinance in the Annex.
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At its cabinet meeting today, the state government adopted far-reaching measures to contain the corona pandemic. From next Monday, the SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance (see below) will come into force and replace the SARS-CoV-2 Transition Ordinance that was in force until then.
The Friedrich-Wilhelm-von-Reden Library can remain open until further notice. The museum park will unfortunately have to close, as will all restaurants and overnight accommodation, including the caravan site.
From Monday, 2 November, the following regulations will apply, initially limited until 30 November 2020.
Excerpt from the state government's press release:
"From Monday (2 November), a new Corona Ordinance will come into force. This was decided by the state government today. Stricter measures will then also apply in the state of Brandenburg for a limited period until 30 November in order to slow down the rapid spread of the coronavirus and quickly interrupt the momentum of infection. At the same time, this is intended to keep schools and daycare centres open and prevent the healthcare system from being overloaded. Brandenburg is thus implementing the resolution passed by the Conference of Minister Presidents with Chancellor Angela Merkel on 28 October into state law.
The most important measures include Keeping your distance, observing hygiene, wearing face masks and reducing contact to an absolute minimum. Spending time in public is only permitted with members of your own household and one other household (limited to a maximum of 10 people in total). Restaurants and leisure facilities such as cinemas, theatres and museums will be closed. Tourist overnight stays are prohibited in November. Anyone who has started their holiday in Brandenburg before 2 November must leave by Wednesday (4 November; midnight) at the latest. All events with an entertainment character with members of more than two households and more than 10 people are prohibited. The same applies to recreational and amateur sports, with the exception of individual sports. Professional sporting events can only take place without spectators.
Schools and daycare centres remain open. The obligation to wear masks in schools is being extended in Brandenburg. From Monday, all pupils in the upper secondary school and at the upper secondary school centres will also have to wear a face covering during lessons (with the exception of sports lessons).
[...]
In the middle of the second wave: In Brandenburg, the number of recorded corona infections has increased exponentially since the beginning of October: on 1 October there were 274 COVID-19 cases, on 10 October there were 591, on 18 October 1,178 and today (Friday) there are 2,642.
The nationwide 7-day incidence per 100.000 inhabitants has increased tenfold in the last four weeks from 6.3 to 67.5. In the summer, the figure was sometimes 1. This means that the whole of Brandenburg is a risk area.
[...]
The concrete measures of the new SARS-CoV-2 containment ordinance include
Distancing and hygiene rules
Every person is obliged to
- to observe the general hygiene rules and recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Centre for Health Education for the prevention of infections,
- to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between two people (distance requirement); if it is not possible to maintain the minimum distance in public spaces, a mouth-nose cover should be worn.
Exceptions: The distance requirement does not apply
- for spouses or life partners, for members of one's own household and for persons for whom custody or statutory or court-ordered rights of access exist,
- in the area of child day care,
- between pupils and between pupils and teachers or other school staff in the schools; compliance with the minimum distance between teachers or other school staff remains unaffected,
- between pupils in their perception of school sport,
- between students in the perception of courses in sports practice at universities,
- in the training and competition operations of professional athletes, national league teams and squad athletes of Olympic and Paralympic sports at federal, state or Olympic training centres, which take place within the framework of a usage and hygiene concept of the respective sports association,
- when taking part in educational, training and further training programmes for professional purposes, provided that the programmes are attended in fixed groups,
- if it is absolutely necessary to keep below the minimum distance in order to carry out professional or official activities or voluntary activities serving the realisation of tasks under public law.
Mouth and nose cover
In principle, all persons over the age of six must wear a mouth and nose cover in public spaces wherever it is not possible to maintain a minimum distance from others.
A mouth and nose cover must be worn by:
- all participants at meetings and demonstrations,
- all participants in religious events in churches, mosques or synagogues as well as other religious communities,
- all persons in retail and wholesale outlets (with the exception of staff if they have no direct contact with customers or if the spread of transmissible droplet particles is effectively reduced by suitable technical devices),
- all persons for body-related services,
- all persons in restaurants (who serve prepared food or drinks exclusively for take-away), canteens, cafeterias, cafeterias, service areas and car parks, provided they are not staying at their fixed location,
- Visitors to hospitals, rehabilitation centres and nursing homes,
- all persons using local public transport (including taxis and comparable services, school transport); this also applies to the stay in the associated waiting areas and stops; exception: does not apply to the driving personnel during the journey,
- in the indoor areas of schools only by all pupils in the upper secondary school and the upper secondary school centres (i.e. also in lessons, but not in sports lessons); for all other pupils from the age of five as well as pedagogical and other staff, this only applies outside lessons, all-day activities and other educational offers,
- all persons over the age of five in the indoor areas of after-school care centres (outside the care and education programmes that take place in group, exercise and other educational rooms)
- Employees and visitors in office and administration buildings, provided they are not in a fixed position and the minimum distance of 1.5 metres cannot be safely maintained,
- all persons when using passenger lifts.
The following are exempt from the mask requirement
- Children up to the age of six,
- Deaf and hard of hearing people, their carer and, if necessary, people who communicate with them,
- Persons for whom the use of a mouth-nose cover is not possible or unreasonable due to a disability or for health reasons (this must be proven by a medical certificate).
[...]
Contact restrictions in public spaces
Spending time together in public spaces is only permitted with members of your own household and with people from another household, but in any case only with a maximum of ten people.
Public spaces include all areas in a municipal area that are accessible to the general public and are not subject to any special restrictions on use. This includes, for example, public transport and green spaces, roads, pavements and squares, and all public buildings such as libraries and railway stations.
Exceptions: This restriction does not apply to
- the exercise of custody or contact rights or accompanied contact ordered by a family court,
- accompanying people in need of support,
- Accompanied outdoor activities with children up to the age of 14, in particular from primary schools, day-care centres, day-care centres and child, youth and integration welfare facilities or as part of childcare organised by neighbours,
- the exercise of professional, official or voluntary activities serving the realisation of tasks under public law, in which the cooperation of several persons is absolutely necessary.
This means that educators can continue to move around in public spaces with several children. Children up to the age of 14 can arrange to play outside in the playground - if they are accompanied by an adult. Outside of playgrounds, schools, after-school care centres and daycare centres, however, the general contact restrictions also apply to all children. All persons who have to work together in larger groups for professional reasons may continue to do so as usual if it is absolutely necessary
Assemblies
There are no new restrictions on the right to demonstrate.
[...]
Religious events,
non-religious weddings and funerals
There are also no new restrictions in the area of religious freedom.
[...]
Events with an entertainment character
All events with an entertainment character with members from more than two households and more than 10 people are prohibited.
Events are all public and non-public, scheduled, time-limited gatherings that are not exclusively of a scientific, educational, business, professional or official nature, are based on a special occasion and have a regular programme of events.
This means: All private celebrations that take place in a private setting with family and friends, such as parties, birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries, christenings and funeral coffees following a funeral, housewarming parties and topping-out ceremonies, are permitted in November for a maximum of 10 people present at the same time from a maximum of two different households. Citizens are generally requested to avoid visits altogether.
This also means that spectators are practically no longer permitted at sporting events.
Important for the hunting sector: Social hunts are permitted if they are necessary to fulfil the shooting of cloven-hoofed game or for animal disease control and prevention.
Events without entertainment character
- in the open air with more than 100 people present at the same time and
- in closed rooms with more than 50 people present at the same time
are prohibited. However, this does not apply to court hearings.
Organisers of non-entertainment events 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 the participants,
- the recording of personal data in a contact record for the purpose of contact tracing; participants must provide their personal data completely and truthfully.
Exception: This does not apply to events that serve the maintenance of public safety and order, the provision of public services or the fulfilment of tasks under public law.
In addition, the responsible health authority may authorise exceptions in special individual cases upon request. This is particularly relevant for events organised by political parties and voter groups to present their candidates in accordance with the respective election laws for upcoming elections.
Clarification: General meetings as well as association and other committee meetings can therefore take place in compliance with social distancing and hygiene regulations. However, all meetings that are not absolutely necessary should ideally be cancelled and postponed or held digitally in November.
Retail and wholesale outlets
Operators of retail and wholesale outlets must take appropriate organisational measures to ensure the following on the basis of an individual hygiene concept:
- the observance of social distancing between all persons,
- controlling and restricting the access and presence of all persons; it must be ensured that there is no more than one customer per ten square metres of sales area,
- the mandatory wearing of a face mask by all persons,
- regular replacement of the room air with fresh air, in particular through shock ventilation via windows or by operating ventilation and air conditioning systems with a high proportion of outside air
[...]
Body-related services
The provision of body-related services where it is not possible to maintain social distancing between employees and customers is prohibited.
This applies, for example, to personal care services such as beauty and nail salons, massage parlours, tattoo studios, tanning salons and similar businesses. They must be closed in November.
The ban does not apply to:
- Healthcare providers and other helping professions, insofar as they provide medically necessary treatments, in particular in the field of physiotherapy, occupational therapy or logotherapy, podiatry and foot care that is not purely for cosmetic purposes,
- Hairdressers and hairdressers.
Clarification: Body-related services such as medically necessary massages and necessary pedicures are therefore permitted.
[...]
Restaurants and similar establishments
Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés must be closed to the public.
Exceptions: This does not apply to
- Restaurants that serve prepared food or drinks exclusively for take-away in the context of out-of-home sales and do not provide any parking or seating facilities,
- Restaurants in the travelling trade within the meaning of the Brandenburg Restaurant Act,
- Canteens for company employees and members of the armed forces, police and customs,
- Catering facilities (canteens and cafeterias) at university campuses and at company and vocational training facilities,
- Service areas and motorway service stations on federal motorways
[...]
Accommodation and tourism
Citizens are requested to refrain completely from all non-essential private travel and visits - including visits from relatives.
Operators of accommodation facilities, campsites, motorhome pitches and private and commercial landlords or lessors of holiday flats and houses and similar offers are prohibited from accommodating people for tourism purposes such as leisure trips.
This means that hotels and guesthouses are not allowed to accommodate tourists, but only travellers who are travelling on business or for other necessary reasons.
Sport
Sporting activities on and in all sports facilities are prohibited. This applies in particular to
- Gymnastics, gymnastics and sports halls,
- Fitness studios,
- Dance studios, dance schools,
- football pitches, skate parks and
- comparable facilities.
This prohibition does not apply to
- individual sports on and in all sports facilities alone, in pairs or with members of one's own household; the practice of contact sports is prohibited if this is done with a person from another household,
- for use in schools and for sports courses at universities and swimming pools,
- the training and competition operations of professional athletes, Bundesliga teams and squad athletes of Olympic and Paralympic sports at federal, state or Olympic training centres, which take place within the framework of a usage and hygiene concept of the respective sports association. This also applies to the use of swimming pools
Playgrounds
Children up to the age of 14 are only permitted to visit and use publicly accessible outdoor playgrounds and play areas if accompanied by an authorised supervisor.
Individual sports alone, in pairs or with members of the same household are also permitted on playgrounds. Table tennis tables can therefore be used. But only in the presence of an adult.
Visiting and using indoor playgrounds and play areas is prohibited. Indoor playgrounds remain closed.
Hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes
Operators of hospitals and preventive and rehabilitation facilities as well as nursing homes and special forms of accommodation must ensure that when patients or residents visit them
- access is controlled and unnecessary physical contact with patients or residents, staff and visitors is avoided,
- as far as possible, effective protection of patients or residents and staff against infection is ensured by structural or other suitable measures,
- Personal data is recorded in a contact record for the purpose of contact tracing; visitors must provide their personal data completely and truthfully.
[...]
Public transport, school transport, commercial airports
All persons must wear a face mask when using long-distance rail passenger transport, local public transport including taxis and comparable services, school transport and other means of public transport.
[...]
Youth work
Youth work programmes for people aged 14 and over are prohibited.
Youth work includes, for example, youth clubs or recreational activities for children and young people. Offers of youth social work, inpatient and semi-stationary educational assistance and family support and counselling are not affected. Children's and youth centres and boarding schools remain open.
Schools
The following persons are required to wear a face mask in the indoor areas of publicly or privately funded schools:
- for all pupils in the upper secondary school and at upper secondary school centres, except in PE lessons,
- for all other pupils over the age of five as well as teaching and other staff, including the school management, only outside lessons, all-day programmes and other educational activities.
This does not apply to teaching and other staff, including the school management in the teachers' rooms, preparation rooms and offices.
School swimming lessons are still possible in principle. Masks are also not compulsory for PE lessons in the upper school.
After-school care centres
In the indoor areas of after-school care centres, all persons aged five and over are required to wear a face mask outside of the care and educational activities that take place in group, exercise and other educational rooms.
This does not apply to staff, including the management, in the staff rooms and offices.
In after-school care centres and similar facilities for children of primary school age, children may only be cared for in fixed groups. The composition of the groups should reflect the composition of the school classes as far as possible. This was already planned, but must now be observed even more consistently.
Other educational, training and further education institutions
In the indoor areas of educational, training and further education institutions, particularly in
- Universities,
- Music schools,
- Art schools
- Adult education centres,
- Driving, flying and sailing schools
- Libraries
all persons must wear a mouth and nose cover.
[...]
Office and administration buildings, passenger lifts
In office and administration buildings, employees and visitors must wear a face mask unless they are in a fixed position and the minimum distance of 1.5 metres cannot be safely maintained.
All persons must wear a face mask when using passenger lifts.
State parliament and local representative bodies
The right of the state parliament and local representative bodies to organise themselves remains unaffected by the provisions of the new SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance.
Closure order
The following must be closed to the public
- Discos, clubs, music clubs and similar establishments,
- Prostitution establishments and vehicles, brothels, swingers clubs and similar offers; prostitution events may not be organised,
- Trade fairs, exhibitions, special markets, funfairs, public festivals,
- Gaming arcades, casinos, betting shops,
- Theatres, concert halls and opera houses,
- Cinemas (except drive-in cinemas, drive-in theatres and drive-in concerts),
- Museums, exhibition centres, planetariums,
- Animal parks, zoological and botanical gardens,
- Swimming pools, fun and leisure pools,
- Saunas, steam baths, spas and wellness centres, solariums,
- Amusement parks.
Fines
Anyone who wilfully violates the measures of the SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance is committing an administrative offence. Administrative offences can be punished with a fine of up to 25,000 euros.
For example, the standard fine for violating contact restrictions in public spaces is between 50 and 250 euros for each person. Anyone who enters incomplete or false information in contact tracing lists is liable to a fine of between 50 and 250 euros. Anyone who takes part in an event of an entertainment nature must pay a fine of between 250 and 1,000 euros according to the catalogue of fines.
Further measures to be taken by districts and cities
In consultation with the Ministry of Health, the districts and cities must take protective measures in accordance with the Infection Protection Act that go beyond the requirements of the SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance if and to the extent that this is necessary due to local circumstances or due to a regional or local incidence of infection. This applies in particular in the case of cumulatively more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within the last seven days in relation to the respective local authority.
The districts and independent cities should issue a general decree making it compulsory to wear a face covering on public paths, streets and squares where the minimum distance of 1.5 metres is not maintained by a significant proportion of the people present or cannot be maintained due to the spatial conditions or the number of people present.
The effectiveness of the additional protective measures taken by the districts and independent cities prior to the entry into force of this ordinance on the basis of the SARS-CoV-2 Circulation Ordinance shall remain unaffected."