These are the new Corona rules for the office

Colleagues with masks

Many infection protection regulations will no longer apply as of March 20, but companies can issue their own corona rules.

Dusseldorf The number of new infections remains high. Nevertheless, from March 20th, many corona rules for infection protection are to be abolished – also in companies. The end of the home office obligation is known, for example. But what about other protective measures such as 3G in the workplace and compulsory masks?

Corona rules for employees: what will change from March 20th

According to the Federal Ministry of Labor, employers should in future assess the risk of the virus themselves and set appropriate rules in a hygiene concept.

At the same time, a new draft version of the Corona Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance still provides for “basic protective measures for operational protection against infection”. The paper is available to the Handelsblatt.

According to the draft bill, companies should take “the regional infection process and special activity-specific infection risks into account”. In plain language, this means: It is up to the company and the Corona situation on site whether measures such as compulsory masks, distance and hygiene rules are still necessary.

Nothing is decided yet. The draft will be discussed in the federal cabinet on Wednesday. From March 20th, the state parliaments will decide whether and where stricter rules will apply. What companies and employees can prepare for.

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Mask requirement as a corona rule in the office is still possible

It is likely that many companies will continue to rely on the so-called AHA+L rule after March 20 in view of the number of infections. This has proven itself and is considered basic protection in the fight against the corona virus.

AHA+L stands for:

  • Distance: at least 1.5 meters
  • Hygiene: washing your hands regularly, and coughing and sneezing into the crook of your arm
  • Everyday mask: Surgical masks or FFP2 should continue to be the standard
  • Airing: especially in interiors used by several people

A ministry spokesman made it clear to the “Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung” that companies still have the option of obliging their employees to wear a mask. But the difference is: You do not have to declare a mask requirement.

Similar to the mask requirement, companies must also decide whether these make sense or not for other corona rules depending on the infection process and the area of ​​responsibility of their workforce.

For example, it is clear that the risk of contracting the virus is lower in a large factory building than in an open-plan office or a small break room. The latter are explicitly mentioned as an example in the draft regulation.

Elimination of the home office obligation for employees from March 20th

According to the current status, both the Home office obligation as well as the 3G rule gone without replacement at work. This means that employers would no longer have to check whether their employees have been vaccinated, have recovered or have currently tested negative.

However, there is a back door here too: Federal states should be able to reintroduce stricter protective measures in corona hotspots with dynamic infection rates.

Then a return to a 3G proof obligation in companies would also be conceivable. On March 16th and 18th, the Bundestag and Bundesrat are to discuss and decide on the new 3G regulation.

Relaxation of the Corona rules: home office recommended

Not only the federal states, but also the companies themselves should be able to adapt the corona rules depending on the activities of their employees and the regional infection rate. According to the draft bill, if there is a high risk of infection, employers should check where working from home makes sense and is possible in order to reduce contacts.

Employers could then continue to provide weekly free corona tests and masks for all those who cannot work from home or can only do so with difficulty. So far, companies have had to offer at least two tests per week.

The draft by the Ministry of Labor also explicitly states that employers must enable their employees to be vaccinated against the corona virus during working hours.

More: Federal government wants companies to decide for themselves on corona measures

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