From the point of view of the German Retail Association (HDE), the 2G regulations spoil the important Christmas business for retailers. HDE managing director Stefan Genth criticized the business with items that are not used every day. According to a recent survey by the HDE among 1,100 dealers More than 70 percent of the companies viewed the remaining days of the year negatively. Many have already written off the Christmas business.
“What should be the positive highlight of the year is now often a bottomless hole,” said Genth. Dealers with 2G access restrictions therefore lost almost a third of their pre-crisis sales in the past week. Things are only going well in food retailing and online.
The association demanded consequences from the dramatic development. Shopping with a mask, distance and hygiene concept is a safe matter, said the chief executive. “2G when shopping does not help us in the fight against the pandemic,” he emphasized. The current regulations scared off customers and required a high level of manpower.
The ribbon regulation must be approved nationwide, he demanded. According to this, every customer only has to be checked once for 2G (vaccinated or recovered) and with the ribbon received, he would have access to all shops on that day. In addition, in retail – as in local public transport with the 3G rule (vaccinated, recovered or tested) – random checks should be sufficient.