This means, for example, that masks will remain mandatory on public buses and trains, as well as in medical and healthcare facilities and in refugee and homeless shelters. Hospitals and healthcare facilities remain accessible only for visitors carrying a current negative test result. The existing testing obligations for employees and new admissions will also be continued.

But the ministry explained that a test could be waived in asylum seeker and refugee accommodations for fully immunized persons. The same applies in correctional facilities, detention centers for deportees and similar accommodations. In these areas, the new version contains slight clarifications.

This still applies: anyone who tests positive must isolate for ten days. But after five days, it is possible to free yourself from isolation with a negative test. In NRW, a negative official Covid-19 rapid test or a PCR test is still required for this. A home test is not sufficient. In accordance with federal regulations, this testing will remain free of charge in the future.

The corona provisions in the federal Infection Protection Act, which were significantly scaled back in the spring mainly at the insistence of the FDP, expire on September 23. They provide the legal basis for protective measures in the states and define possible instruments. Most recently, general mask requirements for people attending events or out shopping were dropped. In view of an expected severe Covid-19 wave in the fall, the Federal Ministry of Health, like the states, is already urging a broad repertoire of protective measures.

(Orig. text: dpa / Translation: ck)