Excerpts from the press release of the Brandenburg State Chancellery from 17 April 2020
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The following also applies in principle: everyone is required to keep physical and social contact with other people outside their own household to an absolute minimum. A minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be maintained between people. In particular, personal encounters with elderly, very elderly or chronically ill people must continue to be significantly restricted for their protection.
The wearing of so-called (non-medical) everyday masks or community masks is strongly recommended to reduce the risk of infection in public spaces where the minimum distance cannot always be guaranteed, especially in retail and public transport.
These measures will apply from 20 April 2020
Daycare centres:
Daycare centres remain closed for normal operations.
Emergency care will be extended as follows from 27 April:
The so-called one-parent rule will be extended to all professions and critical infrastructure needs groups. The one-parent rule means that both parents no longer have to work in a system-relevant profession. Instead, it is sufficient for only one parent to be entitled to emergency care. However, the basic prerequisite remains that the custodian is unable to organise care at home.
Critical infrastructure areas include activities:
- in the healthcare sector,
- in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors,
- in the medical and nursing fields, inpatient and day-care educational support, in boarding schools in accordance with Section 45 SGB VIII, integration support and care for the mentally ill,
- Maintaining state and government functions as well as federal, state and local government,
- Police, rescue service, disaster control and fire brigade as well as other non-police hazard prevention,
- Administration of justice,
- Prison system, including the penal system, the penitentiary system and similar areas,
- Energy, waste, wastewater and water supply, local public transport, IT and telecommunications, labour administration (benefits administration),
- Agriculture and food industry, food retail and supply industry,
- as an educator or as a teacher in emergency care,
- Media (journalism including production and delivery),
- Veterinary medicine,
- personnel required for the maintenance of payment transactions,
- Cleaning companies, insofar as they are active in critical infrastructures.
Single parents can also make use of the emergency care - regardless of whether they work in the aforementioned critical infrastructures - if there is no other care option.
The district administrators and mayors continue to decide on the specific emergency care, for example in which facilities and during which opening hours it is offered, in consultation with the office directors and mayors on their own responsibility. They can specify the named groups of employees and the procedure for which on-site emergency care is provided.
Schools:
School operations remain suspended. The following relaxations apply. The specific arrangements for compliance with the distancing and hygiene rules will be made on site:
Examinations and exam preparations for the final classes of this school year can take place again after appropriate preparations.
The Abitur examinations will take place, as announced, from 20 April.
Pupils in year 10 of secondary schools, comprehensive schools, grammar schools and special schools with a special educational focus on "learning" will return to school from 27 April. This means that the graduating classes that are taking the intermediateschool-leaving certificate (Fachoberschulreife) or the extended vocational training certificate this year will be taught again. The same applies to vocational schools and the final classes of dual training programmes.
The halls of residence and boarding schools (OSZ, special schools, individual special schools) will resume operations in line with the school curriculum. Boarding schools are once again operating in parallel with schools.
Parental work in the area of child and youth welfare facilities and integration centres is to resume. The ban on attendance can be relaxed while maintaining hygiene standards, and (limited) trips home can be made in consultation with the management of the facilities.
For children who cannot be reached well through homeschooling, schools will offer an educational presence programme at primary schools and at lower secondary level (grades 7 to 10) from 4 May if the general conditions regarding distance rules, learning groups and hygiene can be met.
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Retail:
In addition to the previous regulations, shops with a sales area of up to 800 square metres or shops that reduce their sales area to 800 square metres may generally reopen from 22 April 2020, subject to strict compliance with the necessary hygiene standards, access control and the avoidance of queues.
This relaxation also applies accordingly to shopping centres (malls/shopping centres). The reference value of 800 square metres applies to the individual shops. However, the centre management is responsible for access controls and hygiene measures. Distancing rules must be observed, queues and gatherings of people in confined spaces must be prevented.
Car dealers, bicycle dealers and booksellers may open from 22 April, regardless of the size of the sales area.
Body-related crafts and services such as nail studios, tattooists, beauty salons, pedicures and massage parlours will remain closed. Hairdressers will be allowed to reopen from 4 May, subject to compliance with the necessary hygiene rules.
Self-harvesting in fruit and vegetable fields is permitted, subject to compliance with social distancing rules.
Public life:
Public and university libraries and archives may reopen from 22 April 2020, provided that the necessary hygiene standards, access control and the avoidance of queues are strictly observed.
Galleries, museums and exhibition halls may also reopen from 22 April 2020. Galleries, museumsand exhibitionhalls may also reopen from 22 April 2020, provided that requirements regarding hygiene and minimum social distancing of 1.5 metres in any direction, access control and the avoidance of queues are strictly observed.
Animal parks and wildlife enclosures may also reopen from 22 April 2020, provided that the necessary hygiene standards, access control and the avoidance of queues are strictly observed. This does not include animal houses, which remain closed.
Catering services remain limited to out-of-home sales.
Major events remain prohibited up to and including 31 August 2020.
Public and non-public events and gatherings remain prohibited. This applies, for example, to family celebrations or graduation ceremonies. What is new, however, is that the responsible local assembly authority can authorise exceptions for open-air gatherings with up to 20 participants in individual cases upon request, provided this is justifiable from an infection control perspective. This means that the general ban on demonstrations in Brandenburg has been lifted again.
Religious ceremonies, in particular baptisms and funerals, are permitted with up to 20 participants.
Meetings in clubs - regardless of whether they are sports clubs or other associations - are still prohibited. However, access to the club premises is not prohibited if the club can guarantee compliance with the applicable distancing and hygiene rules. Training together in groups within the club is prohibited, individual sport alone or in pairs (e.g. tennis or golf) is permitted if the club can clearly comply with the distancing rules on the premises.
Temporary lingering on public benches, meadows or open spaces is once again permitted, subject to the distancing rule of 1.5 metres.
New: Searching for explosive ordnance in populated areas where large numbers of people are likely to be evacuated or which are located in the immediate vicinity of critical infrastructure, hospitals or care homes is prohibited. Exceptions may be granted in justified individual cases by written authorisation from the local regulatory authority in consultation with the Central Police Service and its Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service.
Religious practice: Church services are to be reopened soon. The background to this is that today, 17 April, the federal states and the federal government agreed with the churches that they would present concepts over the course of next week on how church services can be held under the distancing and hygiene rules. This should then be possible for all religious communities from the beginning of May.
Excursions should still be avoided. However, they are not prohibited if the guidelines are adhered to.
Staying in public places - including in particular paths, streets, squares, green spaces and parks - is still generally prohibited. Exceptions to this ban are routes for which there is a valid reason. For example, getting to work, going to the supermarket, necessary doctor's appointments or donating blood.
Individual sport and exercise in the fresh air is still expressly permitted: walking, jogging, cycling. However, the minimum distance requirement to all people who do not live in the same household also applies here.
Water sports: For example, motorboats, sailing boats, surfboards, paddle boats, rowing boats or stand-up paddle boards may continue to be used provided that the distance and hygiene rules are observed. Commercial boat hire is also permitted in consultation with the relevant local authorities, as is the limited operation of marinas and harbours. Anyone who has their boat moored on the premises of such an establishment can use it. However, gatherings in clubs and other sports and leisure facilities are prohibited. The competent authorities may make different arrangements on site.
Playgrounds: Visiting and using publicly accessible playgrounds is still not permitted.
Fishing and hunting: Both are still permitted in principle, both for professional and private purposes. The following also applies to hunting and fishing: a distance of at least 1.5 metres.
Overnight accommodation - whether hotels or campsites - may still strictly not be used for tourism purposes. The tourist use of holiday flats and campsites is prohibited. However, it is possible to rent out accommodation to professionals, for example tradespeople, fitters or commuters. However, the hygiene rules must also be observed.
Own holiday home, holiday flat or dachas: Holiday homes or flats that you own may be occupied privately and exclusively for your own use. This also applies to leases. The familiar rules must also be strictly adhered to.
Quarantine rules for travellers entering and returning to Germany:
The quarantine regulation for entry and return will be extended unchanged until 8 May at the latest.
Persons entering the state of Brandenburg from a country outside the Federal Republic of Germany are still obliged to go directly to their own home or other suitable accommodation immediately after entering the country and to stay there for 14 days. This also applies to persons who initially entered Germany via another federal state. During the quarantine period, these persons may not receive visits from other persons who do not belong to their household. The persons concerned are obliged to contact their local health authority immediately and inform them of the home quarantine. They must also report any symptoms of illness there immediately.
There are exceptions to home quarantine for all professional groups who transport people, goods, mail or goods across borders by road, rail, ship or plane.
There are alsoexceptions for commuters whose work is essential to ensure the safety of the population.
- the functionality of the healthcare system and care facilities,
- public safety and order,
- maintaining diplomatic and consular relations,
- the functioning of the legal system,
- the functioning of the representation of the people, the government and the administration of the federal, state and local authorities
- the functioning of the institutions of the European Union and international organisations
is absolutely necessary. The compelling necessity must be checked and certified by the employer or other principal.
There are further exceptions for persons
- who regularly cross the border between their place of residence and place of work(inbound and outbound commuters) or who enter the federal territory for a limited period of time that is absolutely necessary and cannot be postponed for professional or medical reasons,
- who have spent less than 48 hours abroad or
- who have another valid reason for travelling; this includes in particular social aspects such as shared custody, visiting a partner who does not live in the same household, urgent medical treatment or assistance or care for vulnerable persons