On the basis of the guidelines for dealing with the corona crisis laid down by the Federal Government and the heads of the Länder governments, the Länder and local authorities have now implemented official decrees with concrete requirements for the retail trade, among other things. As a result, this means that all stores affected by the orders must now close or have already closed in ECE centers.
The centers themselves will not close, but will remain open within the framework of the regulations, because the regulations provide for a number of sectors that should and may remain open to ensure the provision of basic services. These are primarily all shops providing everyday necessities such as grocery stores, pharmacies, medical supplies stores, drugstores, banks and savings banks, post offices, suppliers of pet supplies, etc. Restaurants and Cafés must also remain closed to the public or may only remain open for out-of-home sales.
These regulations also apply in a similar form in most international markets – there too, there are corresponding restrictions for retailers with certain exceptions for basic services, and there too, the centres have opened with a correspondingly reduced range of services.
