In view of the rapidly increasing number of infections with the corona virus and the capacity utilisation of intensive care units, further tightening of the measures was decided today, which will come into force on Monday.
Daycare centres and schools have to close if the so-called 7-day incidence exceeds 200 for three consecutive days.
The daily updated case numbers can be found here. On 17 April 2021, the value in the district of Märkisch-Oderland was 129.25.
Excerpt from the state government's press release of 17 April 2021:
"In view of the significant rise in the number of coronavirus infections and the increasing burden on the healthcare system, the cabinet decided to tighten the SARS-CoV-2 Containment Ordinance at a special meeting today (Saturday). From Monday (19 April 2021), a night-time curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. will apply in districts and independent cities with a 7-day incidence of 100 for three consecutive days. As soon as the 7-day incidence in a district or independent city exceeds 200 for three consecutive days from 18 April, daycare centres will close there and primary schools will go into distance learning; comprehensive emergency care will be guaranteed. At the same time, the cabinet has decided that fully vaccinated people will be treated in the same way as people who have tested negative from the 14th day after their last vaccination. The amended ordinance is to be announced on Sunday and come into force on Monday. It will apply up to and including 3 May 2021 [...].
The most important changes to the Corona Ordinance are:
Open-airgatherings are still only permitted in fixed locations and with a maximum of 500 participants (distancing requirement, control and restriction of access and stay, mask requirement). New: As soon as the 7-day incidence exceeds 100 in a district or independent city, gatherings are only permitted with a maximum of 100 participants. As before: Demonstrations are generally prohibited in districts and independent cities with a 7-day incidence of more than 200 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Exceptions can still be granted in individual cases if this is justifiable from an infection protection point of view.
According to paragraph 26 of the Containment Ordinance, districts and independent cities should take further protective measures in accordance with the Federal Infection Protection Act if this is necessary due to a regional or local incidence of infection. New at this point in the ordinance: This is particularly relevant in the event of critical utilisation of intensive care hospital capacities.
Emergency brake from a 7-day incidence of over 100: As soon as the 7-day incidence in a district or independent city exceeds the value of 100 for at least three days without interruption, the responsible authority must publicly announce the excess. The following measures apply there for at least 14 days from the day after the announcement:
- Night-time curfews (new / similar to the regulation over Easter): In the period from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., staying in public spaces is only permitted if there is a valid reason(note: the planned federal emergency brake provides for the period from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. here). Valid reasons are in particular
- visits by spouses and partners as well as cohabiting partners,
- the exercise of custody or a statutory or court-ordered right of access,
- accompanying 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 use of veterinary services and the care of animals (e.g. walking or feeding horses),
- 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 (demonstrations), religious events, non-religious weddings and funerals,
- participation in non-prohibited events, with the exception of private parties and other gatherings (note: this point is new/stricter compared to the Easter regulation). This means: you must leave from a visit to relatives in good time so that you reach your own home by 10 pm
- the implementation of animal disease control measures and hunting by persons authorised and appointed to hunt.
- Contact restrictions (unchanged / regulated as before): spending time together in public spaces is only permitted with members of your own household and with one other person from outside the household. This does not include children up to the age of 14. This person limit also applies to the organisation of events with an entertainment character as well as private parties and gatherings.
- Retail trade (unchanged / regulated as before): Retail outlets must be closed to the public. Sales outlets for daily needs are exempt. These include, among others: Food shops and beverage markets, stalls at weekly markets, pharmacies, medical supply stores, drugstores and health food stores, opticians and hearing aid acousticians, pet shops, DIY stores, nurseries, garden centres, garden centres and florists, banks and savings banks, bookshops, newspaper and magazine shops, post offices, petrol stations and workshops for bicycles and motor vehicles, pick-up and delivery services.
- Sport (unchanged / regulated as before): The practice of sport on all outdoor sports facilities is only permitted alone, in pairs or with members of your own household. The practice of contact sports with persons from outside the household is prohibited.
- Cultural and leisure facilities (amended / tightened): All cultural and leisure facilities must be closed to the public: in addition to memorials, museums, exhibition centres, galleries, planetariums, archives and public libraries, this now also applies to zoos, game reserves, zoological and botanical gardens.
From a 7-day incidence of over 200, the following applies: As soon as the 7-day incidence in a district or independent city exceeds 200 for at least three consecutive days from 18 April 2021, the competent authority must publicly announce that the incidence has been exceeded. From the day after the announcement, face-to-face teaching for pupils in grades 1 to 6 at primary level and the operation of day-care centres and day-care facilities for children is prohibited for a period of at least 14 days. In this case, emergency childcare must be set up.
Important - the following remains unaffected: face-to-face teaching for pupils in final classes, in the last year of training for the respective vocational training course, in special schools with a special educational focus on "mental development", the holding of examinations and the taking of examinations, in particular in accordance with the Crafts Code and the Vocational Training Act on the premises of the upper secondary school centres, as well as school test procedures.
New: Emergency after-school care will be extended to children in grades 1 to 6 (previously: grades 1 to 4).
Have a right to emergency care (daycare centres and after-school care):
- Children who need to be looked after for reasons of safeguarding the child's welfare or due to special social support needs identified by schools,
- Children of whom at least one legal guardian (note: the previous regulation stated "both legal guardians") is employed in critical infrastructure areas within or outside the state of Brandenburg, insofar as home or other individual or private care cannot be organised,
- Children of single parents, if home or other individual or private care cannot be organised.
Critical infrastructure areas are:
- Healthcare, healthcare technology and pharmaceutical areas, inpatient and day-care educational support, boarding schools, educational support, integration support and care for the mentally ill, people in inpatient or outpatient medical or nursing care,
- Educators in day care centres and teachers,
- Maintaining state and government functions in federal, state and local government,
- Police, rescue service, disaster control, fire brigade and federal armed forces as well as other non-police emergency services,
- Administration of justice and tax law,
- Prison system, including the penal system, the penitentiary system and similar areas,
- Services of general interest for energy, waste, water, local public transport, information technology and telecommunications,
- Benefits administration of the providers of benefits in accordance with the Second Book of the German Social Code, the Fifth Book of the German Social Code, the Twelfth Book of the German Social Code and the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act,
- Agriculture, food industry, food retail and supply industry,
- Logistics sector (including drivers) for basic services,
- Teachers for accredited lessons, educational programmes and childcare services in schools as well as for preparing and conducting examinations,
- media (including infrastructure through to newspaper delivery),
- Veterinary medicine,
- personnel required for the maintenance of payment transactions,
- Cleaning companies, insofar as they are active in critical infrastructures,
- Voluntary fire brigades and volunteers in other aid organisations,
- Funeral parlour.
Children who are required to be present at the school and who do not attend classes are not entitled to emergency care.
Fully vaccinated persons do not need a negative test result: Persons who have received a vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus at least 14 days ago, which is necessary for full vaccination protection, can present corresponding vaccination documentation and do not show any symptoms of COVID-19 disease, can use services that were previously only allowed to be used with a negative test result without presenting a test result. This also applies to professions for which negative tests are mandatory, e.g. in schools and daycare centres. [...]"