Friday November 12th 2021
Zero-G, 1G, 2G, 3G or Plus?
What the different G-rules mean
The corona rules are slowly becoming confusing. Most people still understand 3G, but what is the point of the “plus”? ntv.de explains what you need to know.
1G
The 1G regulation is still quite new to the discussion and has not yet been clearly defined. Some only mean those who have been vaccinated, others only those who have been tested. The latter includes the virologist Johannes Schmitt-Chanasit, who brought the 1G variant into play last week. It stipulates that only tests should be used as access criteria for public institutions. His argument: 2G (see below) only offers deceptive security because vaccinated people can become infected, albeit much less often than unvaccinated people.
Advantage: Due to the high number of tests, many infections are found, even among those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
disadvantage: Very high effort and costs. There is no incentive for people who do not want to be vaccinated to get vaccinated. The fact that those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated have a much lower risk of becoming infected is not taken into account.
2G
Stands for recovered or vaccinated. So if 2G applies anywhere, be it in a cinema or a pub, you have to prove one of the two. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), you are fully vaccinated 14 days after the second injection with a vaccine approved in the EU, i.e. those from Astrazeneca, Biontech, Janssen or Moderna. Anyone who has been vaccinated with the preparation from Janssen (also known as Johnson & Johnson) is considered to be completely protected after just one injection. However, it is recommended to have another dose of Biontech or Moderna administered to be on the safe side. A complete vaccination is also considered to have been given if you have only received one vaccination dose after surviving an infection. According to the RKI, you have recovered if you were infected and this was proven with a PCR test. But that only applies for six months. You can do it exactly read it at the RKI. 2G is already valid in Saxony, from Monday in Berlin and in Bavaria, among other things, in theaters, cinemas and fitness studios. In Hamburg there is an option model, in many other countries 2G is planned if the numbers continue to rise.
Advantage: Those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated have very good protection against infections and especially against severe courses. Anyone who is in a room that only contains those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated has a reduced risk of being infected. However, it is difficult to make final predictions about the risk. For example, it is important to consider how people behave in a room – do they talk lively to one another or are they more silent, as in a church service? Are the windows open or not? Vaccination is arguably the most important, but not the only factor.
Disadvantage: Could lead to a false sense of security and thus to reckless behavior, such as disregarding the AHA + L rules. After all, people who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered can also become infected and pass the virus on. The virologist Hendrick Streeck also fears that unvaccinated people are less likely to be tested because they are excluded from public life anyway.
2G plus
The “plus” means that in addition to the above criteria, you have to show a negative corona test. So you have to be vaccinated and tested or recovered and be tested. This can be a quick test or a PCR test. Most recently, Health Minister Jens Spahn said he was for 2G plus at public events.
Advantage: Even lower risk of infection than with 2G, because tests are also carried out.
Disadvantage: Greater effort and still the risk of a false sense of security. Because rapid tests in particular can be false-negative.
3G
Stands for “recovered, vaccinated and tested” – all three of them start with “g”, together make 3G. A rapid antigen test is sufficient as a test. The difference to 2G plus is that with 3G a test is on an equal footing with the vaccination and the survived illness. According to the planned corona protection package from the SPD, Greens and FDP, 3G should be mandatory in the workplace in the future.
advantage: Offers some security and does not exclude anyone, as unvaccinated people also get access. If tests are used millions of times each week, many infections are likely to be detected.
Disadvantage: If tests are older than a few hours, the informative value decreases rapidly. If someone got on a full bus after a test, there is actually no security. The test is valid for 24 hours. There is also the problem that the rapid tests at the beginning of an infection are not particularly reliable. “Low viral loads are hardly recognized,” according to a study by the University of Würzburg. In addition, the test must also be applied correctly, which is another source of error.
3G plus
Means the same as 3G, only that the test here has to be a PCR test, the “gold standard” of tests. This applies, for example, to hairdressers, restaurants and hotels in Bavaria.
Advantage: Greater security thanks to the best test quality.
disadvantage: Very complex. Doing a PCR test takes at least a few hours, usually a day. You then have the greatest possible certainty that you have not been infected at the time of the test, but there is also the risk of being infected after the test.
0G
And what about 0G, i.e. zero G? This does not mean a rule as with 2- or 3G, but criticism of non-compliance. Health Minister Spahn recently used this expression in an interview with “Spiegel”. By this he meant the case that the 3G or 2G rules are in place but are not controlled at all. This variant only has disadvantages for fighting pandemics.