Thursday, March 4th, 2021
Lockdown extended
Commerce calls resolutions "a disaster"
According to the HDE trade association, the results of the Corona summit are very bad news. In fact, the lockdown will be extended for the vast majority of non-grocers.
The corona resolutions by the federal and state governments have met with criticism in parts of the economy. The stable incidence of 50 prescribed for the opening of shops is "not in sight across the board," complained the retail trade association HDE. The trading companies, which are therefore largely closed, are likely to lose another ten billion euros in sales by the end of March compared to 2019. "The results of the Corona summit are a disaster for the retail sector," said HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth. At the same time, state aid payments would only arrive sparingly.
The ability to shop by appointment is not a lifeline for most stores, says Genth. Because, as a rule, personnel and operating costs are higher than sales. In fact, the lockdown will be extended to the end of March for the vast majority of non-grocery retailers.
"The policy continues to be stubbornly based exclusively on incidence values. This approach seems increasingly questionable," said Genth. There are no reasonable arguments to keep the retail trade closed. "Here the core industry of the inner cities is being sacrificed for no comprehensible reasons", Genth continues. The HDE continues to advocate the opening of all shops in compliance with hygiene and distance rules.
Further opening steps in prospect
Handicrafts President Hans Peter Wollseifer said that there would be no opening perspective for many companies in the near future. "In order to prevent a company from dying out on a broad front, however, economic life must be made possible again as quickly as possible, wherever this is epidemiologically justifiable. The decisions that have now been made do not do justice to this." Politicians must speed up vaccination, and tests would then have to be added. "First, however, numerous open questions about the tests have to be clarified."
The federal and state governments have decided to extend the lockdown until March 28th. At the same time, however, further opening steps were announced. Next week, for example, bookstores, flower shops and garden centers should be able to reopen subject to hygiene requirements and customer numbers. This also applies to body-hugging services as well as driving and flight schools, but they require daily quick or self-tests for customers and a test concept for staff.
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