Many German states have already abolished it, and now the 2-G rule in retail is about to be abolished nationwide. At their meeting next Wednesday, the Conference of Minister Presidents (MPK) will lift this restriction - North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) held out the prospect. "We will jointly discuss a step-by-step plan for more perspectives in the round of minister presidents, which will responsibly secure the openings with basic protection," Wüst, who is currently MPK chairman, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "That means wearing a mask and keeping a distance where necessary." He added that this also applies to the retail sector.

Rhineland-Palatinate's head of government Malu Dreyer (SPD) said there would be a nationwide decision at the MPK. "What is clear is that 2 G will definitely fall in stores." This means that in the future, everyone will be allowed into stores again, not just those who are vaccinated or have recovered.

For many Germans, however, such a decision will have little impact. Ignoring the MPK's decisions, most German states have already abolished the 2-G rule in stores - most recently Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Berlin, and Brandenburg. In states such as Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Lower Saxony, courts forced the state governments to do so.

"It is right, especially in the case of retail, which in many regions also attracts customers beyond state borders, that we act uniformly and coordinate with the other states," Wüst said. In his state, North Rhine-Westphalia, 2G is still officially in force. But there, as of today, Wednesday, retailers no longer have to generally check whether their customers have been vaccinated or have recovered. Random checks are now sufficient.

Image by Gerd Altmann