More stores may open soon, but the corona rules remain strict. How business people in Mainfranken react and what customers can expect.
The loosening of the corona rules decided by the federal government and the free state has met with different feedback in the economy of Main Franconia. Because how the new regulations can be implemented is not always clear.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in Wrzburg-Schweinfurt speaks of a glimmer of hope for many companies. It is good and important that companies from various industries are allowed to open again in the coming days: “Smaller companies in particular urgently need income in order to be able to cover their costs in the long term,” IHK chief executive Ralf Jahn is quoted in a statement on Thursday.
Retail: Why 800 square meters?
The number 800 has suddenly become important in retail. This is because a retailer can only have as many square meters of retail space so that he can open it again on April 27. For IHK boss Jahn, the limit of 800 square meters is “not understandable”. Hygiene and distance rules could be guaranteed regardless of the store size. Larger shops should be allowed to temporarily reduce the sales area in order to be able to receive customers again on Monday.
The district manager Volker Wedde from the trade association HBE in Wrzburg looks similar. He cannot understand why it is just 800 square meters. Above all, the furniture trade with its often large houses on the periphery criticize the rule. He constantly receives calls from entrepreneurs who want to temporarily downsize their shop to be below the 800 square meters, Wedde said.
Outlet center: Probably continue to
It is still unclear how it will go in special shopping addresses such as the Wertheim Village on the Wrzburg-Frankfurt motorway (A3). The artificially designed village consists of many boutiques, which are housed in building blocks. It will probably remain closed, a spokeswoman for the city of Wertheim told the editorial team on Thursday. Because the federal government’s stipulation is that the total sales area is used for outlet centers with a shop-in-shop principle. And that is usually more than 800 square meters. The city of Wertheim is still waiting to see which detailed regulations the state of Baden-Württemberg now makes.
Gastronomy: Further help requested by the state
In any case, all inns, cafes and pubs remain closed in Bavaria. Hotels are not allowed to accept tourists as overnight guests, only business travelers.
“The fears we had have been borne out,” was Michael Schwgerl’s reaction to the current government regulations on Thursday. The Lower Franconian manager in the hotel and restaurant association called for a further aid program from the state for the innkeepers and hoteliers suffering from the Corona crisis.
Hairdressers: Temporary appointments also possible on Mondays
The hairdressing salons may reopen on May 4 with restrictions. After five weeks of forced closure, it was “very high time,” said Obermeisterin Monika Henneberger from the Kitzingen hairdressing guild. The Landesinnungsverband will shortly publish details for the salon owners on how they should implement the distance and hygiene rules.
The hairdressers’ appointment books are packed, says Henneberger. She assumes that the free Monday that is customary in the industry will “first fall”. Many salons needed him to cope with the customer congestion.
What customers can basically expect in stores
Plexiglass panes as spit protection, disinfection options for employees and customers, face masks and spacing rules: what is already common in the shops that have been open so far will also be established in the other accessible shops – district manager Frank Bernard from the Association of Self-Employed in Lohr am Main is convinced of this.
The businessmen themselves had to decide how this would be implemented. Bernard advises them to write down the rules in their stores in order to be able to prove them during an inspection by authorities.
Bernard believes that it will be “unavoidable”, especially for larger stores, to regulate with a kind of doorman that there are not too many customers inside at the same time. In smaller shops such as butchers or bakeries, it is customary for staff to send customers to wait in front of the door if it gets too tight in front of the sales counter.
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