The regulations of the federal emergency brake could be lifted in Bonn from Saturday. The reason is the falling incidence value in the city, as the city administration announced on Wednesday. The seven-day incidence on Wednesday is 88.0 and thus the fourth consecutive working day below the mark of 100. If it is also fallen below this value on Thursday and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia determines this in a general ruling, the federal emergency brake will be lifted from the day after the next and thus at the earliest on Saturday, May 22. If the emergency brake is lifted, the regulations of the state of NRW will take effect.

Then the curfew would fall away and there would be further relaxations, it is said by the city of Bonn. Outdoor catering could then reopen. Then one household and another person or again a maximum of five people from two households may meet. Children up to 14 years, fully vaccinated or recovered are not counted. Stores are allowed to open. However, there is a limit of one person per 20 square feet. Overnight stays in vacation rentals and campgrounds would be allowed again starting Saturday, as would private overnight stays in hotels and similar establishments. The prerequisite for openings and overnight stays is a negative test in each case. There would also be some relaxations in culture. A complete overview of the rules that apply when the incidence is below 100 is available on the homepage of the city of Bonn.

After much back and forth for schools in NRW as well, things are soon to get back to nearly normal. Starting at the end of May, students are to return to classrooms - under certain rules and if incidences permit.

Pupils in North Rhine-Westphalia are to return to daily face-to-face classes from May 31 if incidences remain stable below 100. This was announced by Minister President Armin Laschet (CDU) and Education Minister Yvonne Gebauer in the Düsseldorf state parliament on Wednesday. The prerequisite for the respective districts and independent cities is a stable seven-day incidence of less than 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within one week. This has already been achieved in more than half of the 53 districts and independent cities. This number is expected to increase significantly by the end of May.

North Rhine-Westphalia wants to give students of all school types back some normality with the move at the end of the month, Gebauer (FDP) stressed. Currently, schools in the vast majority of districts and cities are still in an alternating mode of online and face-to-face instruction. However, incidence rates have been falling for some time. If counties and cities remain below 100, students there could be back in classrooms for the remaining five weeks of school until summer vacation on July 2. Hygiene regulations, masking and testing requirements should continue to apply in schools, Gebauer stressed.

The incidence for North Rhine-Westphalia had continued to fall statewide on Wednesday to 79.9 new infections, according to the Robert Koch Institute. In parallel, vaccination is progressing well, according to the minister. Hygiene regulations, masking and testing requirements should continue to apply in schools. Since spring, students and teachers have been tested twice a week in attendance mode.

After several months of widespread school closures, she said she was confident "that we can give children and young people back a bit of normality." The suffering of many children and young people - emotional, psychological or social impairment as a result of closed schools and a lack of encounters - often remains hidden, she said. "You can't measure it, you can't graph it, but it's there." Schools, teachers and parents would have ample time to adjust to the changes in school operations. The possibilities of the federal emergency brake would thus be fully implemented in the state.

(Original text: ga, dpa, Translation: Mareike Graepel)