The fourth wave of the ongoing Corona pandemic has more or less become a fact in Germany. But major differences in incidence levels are emerging between the individual German states. Freshplaza.de spoke with several traders in different regions of the Federal Republic about the current situation and the near future.
Eastern Germany: "Nothing will happen before March".
The incidence values (7-day incidence) in the eastern German region have already been far above the German average for weeks. The eastern German Free State of Sachen has by far the highest rate of new infections in the Federal Republic (currently over 1200). Worryingly, an East German fruit trader says. "The train has definitely left the station and I'm afraid that nothing will happen before March. There are no Christmas markets here and the catering trade is also dead, so we are inevitably increasingly reliant on other sales channels."
Baden-Württemberg: "Catering trade again tense"
In Baden-Württemberg, the incidence value has already been fluctuating between 400 and 500 for several weeks. "It has been said all along: Now comes the lockdown, then again no lockdown, we as retailers as well as the restaurateurs were always in between. There has been a slight revival in between, but now in view of the 2G regulation, we have to see where the journey goes. Unfortunately, the situation in the gastronomy sector is once again very tense. We hope for all of us in the market that things will get better soon," reports a wholesaler from Karlsruhe.
Rhineland-Palatinate: "2G regulation causes extreme problems for the catering industry"
The 2G regulation and tightening are also making themselves felt in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. "The 2G regulation is making things extremely difficult for the gastronomy sector. Normally, December would have been one of our strongest sales months. There are still some Christmas markets taking place, but not to the usual extent. The sales forecasts for December therefore look rather poor and we hope that sales in the catering and bulk consumption sectors will pick up again from spring or March onwards," says a local catering supplier, describing the current situation.
Bavaria: Little hope for Christmas business
In general, there is little going on in the catering trade right now, says a wholesaler from Bavaria. "Some consumers seem to be annoyed by the regulations, as less is being bought or there is little enthusiasm to buy. On top of that, testing has to be done daily at our company, which is an additional challenge because you have to pay close attention to make sure employees are doing it right." He does not expect much from the Christmas business this year, especially in the gastronomy sector, which is also related to the increasing numbers and the 2G rule.