Bremen Mayor Andreas Bowensulde (SPD) has backed the federal and state governments’ decision for a nationwide 2G regime in retail. Bovenschulte told ARD-Mittagsmagazin on Friday that “it’s not because of clean air and love, you want to disturb the retail business, but to get the burdens that are coming under the control of the health system.” According to the 2G rule, only those who have been vaccinated or cured are allowed to retail, except for shops for daily necessities.

Retailers need to approach regulation in a practical and creative way, Bovenschulte said. For example, multiple stores may combine to provide customer-centric control and provide access bands with authentication. Bovenschulte, on the other hand, considers the current nationwide 2G-Plus rule to be exaggerated in retail: “Of course: especially in severely affected areas or in areas where another variant is spreading and facing new challenges, of course you can and should do it. And the rules need to be tightened again.”

Federal and state governments agreed on 2G in retail on Thursday.