Corona rules for Christmas 2020 and New Year’s Eve 2020/2021

At Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2020, the corona rules will be relaxed a little. How many people can meet? And is there a ban on firecrackers?

In the Corona year 2020, special rules also apply for
Christmas and
New Year’s Eve. But although the federal and state governments have agreed to tighten the corona measures for December, there should be some exceptions and short-term easing for the two festivals.

Even the fireworks will not be completely canceled at the turn of the year – firework bans are only planned for certain locations. In this article you will find out which Corona rules for Christmas and New Year 2020 in
Germany should apply.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2020: Corona rules are being relaxed

From December 1, 2020, the contact restrictions will be tightened: Only members from two households are allowed to meet and in any case no more than five people. On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, however, the federal and state governments temporarily allow larger meetings.

Therefore, from December 23, 2020 to January 1, 2021: A maximum of ten people are allowed to meet. It doesn’t matter how many households they come from. Children and young people under the age of 14 are not counted, so that over ten people can celebrate together on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder nevertheless appealed to people to meet only in small groups and to avoid unnecessary trips. In addition, it was specifically agreed by the federal and state governments that the exception rules apply “at the longest” until January 1st – the federal states have the option of ending them before New Year’s Eve.

Extension of the Christmas holidays 2020 is part of Corona measures

Almost everywhere in Germany the Christmas holidays are supposed to start on December 19th. This means that they are brought forward and extended in many federal states. The aim is to reduce the number of contacts among the schoolchildren before the holidays in order to in turn reduce the risk of infection at family gatherings at Christmas. There is also more time for possible corona tests.

Only Bremen and Thuringia do not join the holiday season on December 19th. The two federal states announced that they reserve their own rules.

Corona rules for New Year’s Eve fireworks 2020: Where does a firecracker ban apply?

In mid-November, the Netherlands was the first country in Europe to announce that it would completely ban fireworks on New Year’s Eve or New Year. This is to relieve rescue workers and clinics at a time when the intensive care units are full. In Germany, too, a complete ban on firecrackers was discussed, but this should not come in this strict form.

The federal and state governments are asking people in Germany to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2020 without firecrackers and rockets – but fireworks are allowed in most places in private settings. Municipalities should only ban it in public places and busy streets. In addition, there must be no public fireworks to prevent many people from gathering.

Also read: What is actually a “household”? We explain details of the corona rules

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