These rules and regulations will apply in NRW from Monday, June 15:

The contact restrictions have been extended until June 29. In addition to the groupings that were previously allowed (family or two households), groups of up to ten people are now allowed to meet in public spaces. Prerequisite: The traceability of the persons involved in the gathering is ensured.

By covering the mouth and nose with cloth, the risk of infecting other people with the coronavirus is to be minimized. Self-sewn fabric masks or scarves and shawls pulled over the face are also permitted. The requirement has been in force since April 27 on buses and trains, in all shops and showrooms, at weekly markets, in shopping centers, at bus stops and train stations, in taxis, doctors' offices and similar health care facilities, at the post office, in banks and at gas stations. The mask requirement has been extended until June 29.

Beginning on June 15, stores and businesses will be allowed to have a maximum of one person per seven square meters, this is an increase from the previous maximum of one person per ten square meters of sales area.

According to the Corona Protection Ordinance, this also applies to museums and exhibitions as well as zoos and animal parks.

Large events and celebrations remain prohibited. But events and gatherings with up to 100 people will be permitted, subject to conditions regarding social distancing and protection. However, these are only permitted in consultation with the responsible health authorities and require a special hygiene and infection protection plan. If there are fixed seating arrangements and if the traceability of the participants can be ensured, the distance requirement of 1.5 meters can be waived.

There are also exceptions for special private celebrations such as anniversaries, baptisms, weddings, birthday or graduation parties. These are permitted with a maximum of 50 people, provided that hygiene rules are observed and all participants are registered. When this is the case, a face mask is not required. These celebrations can take place again in separate rooms in restaurants and hotels.

The State of NRW will allow bars to open again in accordance with the requirements applicable to other eating establishments. Clubs and discos, however, must remain closed. Brothels will also remain prohibited.

Restaurants, cafés and pubs with seating have been allowed to open indoors and outdoors since May 11. They are required to have 1.5 meters between tables, measured from back to back. All guests must be registered by name. There are no restrictions on opening hours or length of stay. Buffets are still prohibited.

From June 15, flea markets are allowed again in NRW if they follow a hygiene and infection protection plan. Also "temporary amusement parks run by a number of fairground operators" will be permitted in coordination with the responsible authorities.

Wellness facilities, saunas, and adventure pools can open subject to hygiene and infection protection standards. People are no longer required to swim only in lap pool lanes.

These can operate with a limited number of guests, social distancing - also in the pool and showers - and masks must be worn in closed rooms. Every visitor should also be registered. Guests must wash or disinfect their hands after entering the outdoor pool facility. Outdoor pools have been allowed to open again since May 20. Indoor swimming pools could open starting May 30.

Within the framework of the current contact restrictions (groups of up to ten people, family or members of two households), contact sports will again be permitted from June 15, also in closed spaces. Outdoors, up to 30 people are allowed to do sports together. But it has to be ensured that all participants can be tracked if necessary. Competitions in popular and recreational sports are also permitted again in closed spaces and halls under certain conditions.

From Monday, June 15, all 600,000 primary school pupils in NRW will be allowed to go to school again daily. The NRW education ministry said the students will remain strictly within their own designated group, and that the distance requirement will then be dropped. Starting times and breaks have to be staggered - but if this is not possible, the distance rules should continue to be observed in the hallways, sanitary facilities or on the playground.

After being forced to close for several weeks, day care centers in NRW were allowed to open again on June 8 - but with reduced childcare hours: according to the state's regulations, childcare hours were to be reduced by ten hours per week up until August -31 i.e. only 15, 25 or 35 hours instead of 25, 35 or 45 hours.

Cinemas, theaters, opera houses and concert halls may reopen provided that a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between visitors is guaranteed and there is an admission plan in place. A special hygiene and infection protection plan is required if more than a quarter of the regular audience capacity or more than 100 people are to watch. If there are fewer people, the hygiene regulations must still be observed.

Trade fairs and trade conferences can take place again with protection plans and a limited number of visitors and participants.

Children and teenagers are allowed to go to holiday camps. But: "Activities involving direct physical contact should be kept to a minimum", the hygiene rules state. "For larger groups of more than 15 participants, fixed regular groups should be formed" - these are then exempt from the minimum distancing. If they meet up with another group, the distancing rule applies again.

"If the minimum distance cannot be kept because of space limitations or mandatory program-related routines, the wearing of a face mask will be required". Participants need to always have a mask with them just in case. Likewise, supervisors must always have an extra mask on hand in case it is needed. "The occupancy of rooms/ tents may only be half the maximum capacity and the minimum distance between beds/mats or similar must be observed.”

Tattoo and piercing studios may also reopen. The same hygiene requirements apply there, including face masks and - for facial treatments - special masks, goggles or shields for the service providers.

As the state government announced via Twitter, picnics are also allowed again. Barbecuing/grilling in the park is also allowed again.

Also included in the Corona Protection Ordinance: rules for choir practice, which was previously banned. Since May 20, several singers have been allowed to practice together again in opera houses or concert halls. But: If they stand next to each other, the singers must keep a distance of three meters apart. If they stand in several rows, things become even more complicated: here, 6 meters distance in „Ausstoßrichtung“ (“the direction of discharge”) is required. Furthermore, "a room size accommodating at least ten square meters per person must be provided.”

Since May 11, vacation rentals and camping sites may also be used again for tourist purposes under certain conditions. Leisure parks can open, and excursion boats, bicycle and boat rentals are all allowed. Hotels may reopen after May 18. "Employees who have direct contact with guests must wear face masks." Room cleaning "for shorter stays" should not be done every day but only after departure. Everything in the room - for example magazines or pens - must be cleaned at least after each changeover of guests.

Also, the worldwide travel warning for tourists is to be lifted for 31 European countries beginning June 15, if further developments in the COVID-19 pandemic allow it. Specifically, this concerns travel to European Union member states, to Schengen-associated states and to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. A travel warning will continue to apply to 160 other countries until the end of August.

Residents of senior citizen and nursing homes have been allowed to have visitors again under strict conditions since May 10. According to the plans of NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann, the visits could take place in separate areas or outside. Visitors wearing protective clothing may also enter and visit bedridden persons in their rooms. Visits of up to two persons in each room are possible. Only one person is allowed directly into a resident's room. The duration of the visit is limited to a maximum of two hours per visit and per day. The usual rules of hygiene also apply, such as wearing masks and using disinfectants.

Individual hospitals have been able to allow visits again since May 11th , as far as they consider this appropriate in relation to the rate of infection and ensure a hygiene concept. In general, hospitals and other in-patient health care facilities were allowed to admit visitors after May 20.

Rules are less strict here, for example, than in outdoor swimming pools: one benchmark is that there needs to be 7 square meters per customer- (instead of 10) . But "any high-intensity endurance training (indoor cycling, HIIT and anaerobic threshold training) is prohibited”.

Hairdressers have been allowed to open their salons again since May 4. However, strict Corona rules also apply when visiting the hairdresser. Among other things, distances of two meters must be maintained between the individual workstations. Medical foot treatments and pedicures have been permitted again since Monday, May 4.

When it comes to services where a close distance is unpreventable, the new regulation from Sunday, May 17, requires employees to wear a special face mask "supplemented by protective goggles or a face shield". "The wearing of disposable gloves is compulsory from the beginning of the service until after washing the hair.”

Children have been allowed to go to the playgrounds again since May 7 - at the same time the fourth-graders went back to school. According to the Corona Protection Ordinance, the accompanying persons in the playgrounds must keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from each other.

"Retail food stores, weekly markets, pick-up and delivery services and wholesale stores are allowed to be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays, in addition to the existing legal hours" the TDM Regulation states. Pharmacies may generally open on Sundays and public holidays.

Religious services are allowed again in NRW, with strict safety concepts in place and a limited number of participants.

Driving schools may continue to offer their services subject to safety precautions and minimum distances. During practical driving lessons, the minimum distance of 1.5 meters between persons cannot and need not be observed.

Anyone who "intentionally or negligently" violates essential requirements of the Corona Protection Ordinance and organizes an impermissible event or takes part in such events or gatherings can be punished with up to five years imprisonment.

Infringements can be punished with fines of up to 25,000 euros in accordance with the Infection Protection Act. Accordingly, it is an offense to deliberately or negligently pay unauthorized visits to health care facilities, operate facilities that do not meet the required standards of hygiene, minimum distances and access regulations, offer or provide overnight accommodation for tourists, or grill in a public space. The Corona Protection Ordinance, the current version of which is valid until June 15, lists a total of 42 possible violations.

(Orig. text: ga.de / Translation: ck)