On April 13, the German federal government passed the draft Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, which implements uniform and strict restrictions in areas severely affected by the new crown epidemic.
According to German media reports, the German federal government cabinet meeting has passed the draft amendment to the "Infectious Disease Prevention Act", which can be implemented after the approval of the Bundestag and the federal senators. This draft amendment mainly lays a solid legal basis for the implementation of measures to unify the whole of Germany in response to the third wave of the epidemic. Among them, the most important one is that the "emergency brake" mechanism in Germany will no longer be a child's play, and the states must implement it uniformly.
Bild
According to the draft, when the seven-day infection rate in a county or city exceeds the 100 warning line for three consecutive days, the district will impose a curfew policy and store closures from the fourth day. The curfew is from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day, and exceptions are only allowed for dog walkers or people working night shifts; private gatherings are again limited to the "one household + 1" model, with a maximum of 5 people, and children under 14 are not allowed. Included; funerals are only allowed to meet up to 15 people; recreational and recreational facilities are closed; non-essential shops are restricted; hotel stays for travel purposes are prohibited;
If the incidence rate exceeds 200 for 3 consecutive days, the school should also close face-to-face courses except for the graduating class. The "brake" mechanism also applies to day care centers, but federal states can provide emergency care. Cabinet has also decided to increase the number of paid child sick leave days per parent to 30 days from the current 20 days. When schools and day care centers are closed, parents can take advantage of child sick days to care for their children.
The company's inspection obligation is online!
In addition to amending the Infection Protection Act, the federal government's cabinet also passed a decision on companies' obligation to provide testing.
According to the supplementary "Coronavirus Occupational Health and Safety Regulations", in principle, companies must provide testing for employees once a week, and only in special cases, testing can be provided twice a week. Companies are obliged to purchase so-called self-tests for their employees, which can also be used without trained professionals. However, employees are free to choose whether to accept or not.
FAZ
The federal government says it doesn't impose any complex documentation requirements on companies other than buying tests for employees, reducing additional costs for companies. Also, employees working from home are not required to take the tests that are obligated by their employers.
Article Source:
“Regierung beschließt „Bundes-Notbremse“，Bild，am 13.04.2021
“Arbeitgeber müssen Corona-Tests anbieten”，FAZ，am 13.04.2021
