Next week, some easing of Covid measures will go into effect for non-essential German stores. In the UK, retailers will have to wait until 12 April.
Garden centres
Germany is still in a somewhat general lockdown. This will be extended to 28 March, but at the same time, the German government is introducing a slight easing of measures for stores. Bookshops, flower shops and garden centres will be allowed to reopen their doors from the beginning of next week, provided the necessary security measures are taken into account. In Germany, non-essential stores have been closed since mid-December, writes Dutch news channel NOS.
The rules differ from state to state, depending on the infection rate. As of Monday, the remaining non-essential stores are allowed to reopen in regions with low infection rates. The threshold is a maximum of 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
United Kingdom
The British lockdown exit plan consists of four stages, writes Belgian newspaper De Standaard. Between each phase is a period of five weeks so that the effects can be evaluated.
If all goes to plan, the reopening of non-essential stores will happen at the start of the second phase, on 12 April. Hairdressers, health clubs and amusement parks, among others, would then be able to resume their activities. From that day onwards, bars and restaurants will also be allowed to serve customers in an outdoor setting.
