Trade and gastronomy are demanding relaxation of the corona virus
Berlin – The Corona policy in Berlin remains in motion – but there is not always a clear line. As of Saturday, attendance documentation will no longer be necessary in large parts of public life. Why should it, the health authorities have stopped contact tracing. It is also a relief to find that not only those who have been boosted, but also those who have just been vaccinated and those who have recently recovered (this status lasts three months each) fall under the 2G-plus formula applicable to gastronomy. You no longer need to be tested. On the other hand, there is no relaxation in retail, with the exception of grocery stores or hardware stores. For everyone else, it remains at 2G, only vaccinated or recovered people are allowed in. Much to the dismay of industry representatives.
How dramatic the situation is after two years of the pandemic in Berlin became clear once again on Thursday. Economics Senator Stephan Schwarz (for SPD) had invited to the round table. Representatives of the Berlin Hotel and Restaurant Association used this to present the latest figures from a survey of member companies. Accordingly, the drop in sales in January 2022 was around 60 percent in the hotel industry and 51 percent in the catering industry compared to 2019. 63.3 percent of the companies see their existence threatened. Many continue to apply for short-time work.
For 74.8 percent of the survey participants it is also clear what they want: the abolition of the 2G plus regulation. At the same time, retailers are complaining about 2G. This regulation is not only expensive because security personnel have to be paid, but above all it deters customers. It has been proven that hardly anyone gets infected in the bars or shops.
Trade and gastronomy complain: Rules deter customers
The addressee of these wishes and demands is the Senate. The governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) and economics senator Schwarz are the first to be addressed. This is precisely the man who is seen in the state government as a representative of the economy, indeed of entrepreneurship. After all, he is the co-owner of a family company for building cleaning and was a well-connected lobbyist for many years as President of the Chamber of Crafts. While Giffey is on vacation, Schwarz voted to extend 2G at Tuesday’s Senate session.
On Thursday, when asked by the Berliner Zeitung, Schwarz confirmed his stance. He recalls a decision by the administrative court, which last January 24 rejected an objection to the 2G regulation in retail. Due to the high number of infections, this is lawful, according to the court. Schwarz sees himself confirmed: “Therefore, there can be no talk of a wrong decision.” He also campaigned for further support.
Now the Economics Senator also knows that other administrative courts have recently made other 2G decisions – and some state governments have long since expired. On Tuesday, the administrative court in Frankfurt am Main rejected 2G. The state of Hesse is likely to implement the decision and suspend 2G, as Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland have done before.
If Schwarz has his way, Berlin will not follow suit at first. He considers the comparison to Bavaria or Saarland to be “misleading at this point”, after all the courts there only overruled the regulations for formal reasons. In addition, Berlin is “of course already preparing for the time when the infection situation has peaked”. As soon as the epidemic situation allows it, the framework conditions for trade will improve again.
This statement may reassure some industries, sobering others. For the CDU economic politician Christian Gräff, they are above all a sign of poverty. “It may be that the Berlin 2G regulation is legally tenable, but politically it is wrong.” The service metropolis of Berlin lives too much from trade, gastronomy and the hotel industry.