COVID-19 How long will hotels and restaurants remain closed?

The coronavirus crisis is having a huge impact on the hotel and restaurant industry. Not only in Germany and Austria, but also in Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, there is currently no more tourism. Restaurants are also closed.

Due to the protective regulations issued by the respective governments, the opening of accommodation establishments, inns, bars and clubs is prohibited, sometimes with heavy penalties – a challenge that poses major problems for hoteliers and restaurant owners.

Here is an overview of the measures in Germany, Austria and other countries relevant to tourism.

Largely uniform regulations in Germany

In Germany, restaurants, cafés and bars must remain closed in all federal states due to the COVID-19 crisis. Exception: In Brandenburg, service stations and car parks are generally allowed to be open.

Hotels are no longer allowed to accommodate tourists in any of the federal states. In Baden-Württemberg, overnight guests may be accommodated for official, business or (private) hardship reasons; in Saxony, “only necessary overnight stays” are permitted.

The regulations initially apply in the following periods:

• Baden-Württemberg: 21.03. – 19.04.2020
• Bavaria: 31.03. – 19.04.2020
• Berlin: 22.03. – 19.04.2020
• Brandenburg: 23.03. – 19.04.2020
• Bremen: 24.03. – 19.04.2020
• Hamburg: 22.03. – 05.04.2020 (extension probable)
• Hesse: 21.03. – 19.04.2020Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 21.03. – 19.04.2020
• Lower Saxony: 20.03. – 18.04.2020
• North Rhine-Westphalia: 23.03. – 20.04.2020
• Rhineland-Palatinate: 24.03. – 19.04.2020
• Saarland: 26.03. – 20.04.2020
• Saxony: 23.03. – 05.04.2020 (extension probable)
• Saxony-Anhalt: 25.03. – 19.04.2020
• Schleswig-Holstein: 24.03. – 19.04.2020
• Thuringia: 19.03. – 19.04.2020

Hotels and restaurants in Austria closed since March 17

In Austria, restaurants have been closed since March 17, 2020 due to a corresponding regulation to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and must remain so until at least April 13, 2020.

On March 30, the Austrian Minister of Health announced the adoption of a legal regulation for hotels, according to which all hotels in the Alpine republic will be temporarily closed for tourist use. It is not yet known how long the closure will last.

Almost nothing works in Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia either

After the Federal Council imposed the complete closure of restaurants in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland on March 11, 2020, this regulation was extended to the entire country from March 16, 2020 and will initially apply until April 19, 2020. Hotels may remain open in Switzerland.

In Italy, the first hotels and restaurants in certain regions were already closed at the end of February. Since March 11, 2020, this has applied to the entire country. This regulation will initially apply until April 3, but is likely to be extended further.

Hotels and restaurants in Croatia and Slovenia have also been closed since mid-March 2020 until April 30, 2020.

EDIT:

Restaurants may reopen in Austria from May 15, 2020, hotels from May 29, 2020. Four adults plus children may sit at each table in the restaurant. A minimum distance of one meter must be maintained between groups of guests.

Bars are also allowed to open under the same conditions. Until further notice, opening hours for gastronomy are 06:00 – 23:00. As free choice of seats is prohibited until further notice, reservations are requested in advance to avoid queues.

In Germany, the next steps in the coronavirus crisis will be discussed at the federal-state conference on May 6, 2020, particularly with regard to easing restrictions on the catering and hotel industry in the individual federal states. This is because so far there has been disagreement and the regulations on the restrictions in the federal states vary .

For example, Bavaria has decided to gradually open restaurants and hotels from May 18, 2020. In Lower Saxony, restaurants are to be allowed to reopen on May 11, 2020, and hotels on May 25, 2020 – initially with restrictions. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed until further notice.

Baden-Württemberg, on the other hand, is relying on a traffic light system for the areas of events and gastronomy from mid-May, which will indicate what is permitted and what remains prohibited.

In Switzerland, restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen from May 11, 2020, subject to strict compliance with protective measures. The hotels may remain open under special conditions.

In Croatia, most hotels and camps are preparing to open on May 29. Some hotel openings are already planned from May 11, 2020.

In Slovenia, restaurants, bars and other establishments were already allowed to open their terraces on May 4, 2020. Catering is only permitted in the outdoor area of the catering establishments, further conditions are still to be defined.

In Italy, a country that has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus crisis, restaurants and bars are expected to be allowed to reopen from June 1, 2020.