Dear Cologne visitor,
the high numbers of Corona infections make a nationwide lockdown necessary. The decisions of the federal and state governments to contain the corona pandemic have been incorporated into the Corona Protection Ordinance (only in German, changes in yellow), which will be in force throughout the state. The following regulations apply:
- Overnight stays for touristic purposes are prohibited.
- In public spaces, a minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be kept from all persons.
- Meetings in public space are permitted only between members of a household and one other person. This person may be accompanied by children in need of care from their household.
- The obligation to wear a medical mask applies at certain locations. If children under the age of 14 cannot wear a medical mask due to the fit, an everyday mask must be worn as a replacement. The obligation to wear a medical mask exists regardless of compliance with a minimum distance
- in retail stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, etc., as well as in doctors’ offices and comparable medical facilities,
- in public transport – also at stations and stops
- during religious services and other gatherings for the practice of religion also at the seat.
- The mask obligation continues to apply in particular in the following areas, whereby the wearing of an everyday mask continues to be sufficient here:
- in enclosed premises in public areas, insofar as these are also accessible – with or without entrance control – to customers or visitors,
- at markets and similar outdoor sales points
- The retail trade is closed. Exceptions include: Grocery stores, pick-up and delivery services, beverage markets, weekly food markets, pharmacies, health food stores, medical supply stores, drugstores, gas stations, banks, savings banks, post offices, kiosks, wholesale (for wholesale customers), the distribution of food by social institutions (food banks).
- Leisure and entertainment facilities are closed. These include, for example, zoological gardens, boat trips, zoos, clubs, discos, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, swimming and fun pools and amusement arcades.
- Concerts and performances in theaters, opera houses, concert halls, cinemas and other institutions as well as the operation of museums, art exhibitions, galleries, castles, palaces, memorials and similar institutions are not permitted.
The operation of drive-in cinemas, drive-in theaters and similar facilities is permitted under certain conditions. - Restaurants, pubs, snack bars, cafés and other catering facilities are closed. Only the drop-off or pick-up service is allowed.
- The consumption of alcoholic beverages in public is prohibited.
- Recreational and amateur sports are not permitted. Individual sport is excluded (under certain conditions).
Competitions in professional leagues are permitted. Spectators are not permitted. - All information can be found here: Ordinance (Only in German, changes in yellow)
You can also inform yourself here about rules, measures, regulations and tips from the state government: Corona virus in North Rhine-Westphalia (Only in German). - An official quarantine order is issued if there is a high risk of infection. Such a high risk exists if you have had close contact with an infected person with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis within the last two weeks.
All information can be found here: Quarantine Ordinance (Only in German). - Breaches of the Corona Protection Ordinance are punished by the competent authorities as administrative offences as follows: Administrative offences (Only in German).
The City of Cologne has reached an agreement with the North Rhine-Westphalia Health Centre and the Cologne district government on the following measures, among others::
- There is an obligation to wear a mouth-nose covering in public spaces wherever many people meet and the distance of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained. Everyone on foot in pedestrian zones and shopping streets must wear a mask from 10 am to 10 pm.
A map and list of public places with an obligation to wear a mouth-to-nose mask can be found here (only in German).
Attention: The special obligation to wear a medical mouth-nose covering exists:- in commercial establishments (closed premises such as supermarkets, petrol stations, tradesmen's shops, etc.)
- in local public transport (also at railway stations and bus stops)
- at religious services and meetings of religious communities
- in medical offices and comparable establishments with a focus on medical services.
- It is strongly discouraged to have private parties in your own flat.
- All information can be found here: Restrictions in public life (City of Cologne) (Only in German)
- Information on Corona testing services in Cologne and the development of case numbers can be found here: Corona virus (City of Cologne). (Only in German)
The official German Corona Warning App for the fight against the Corona virus is available. All information about the free app can be found here: Corona-Warn-App. The download is voluntary: App-Store | Google Play Store. Support us in our fight against Corona.
Detailed information on safe travel can be found in the federal "Tourism Guide": www.tourismus-wegweiser.de (only in German).
- Accommodation offers for tourist purposes are prohibited.
- Persons entering the country from risk areas are obliged to register digitally at www.einreiseanmeldung.de before entering the country.
You can find out whether you have been in a risk area by checking this list: international risk areas. - Anyone who has entered or is entering North Rhine-Westphalia from the United Kingdom, South Africa or Ireland is required to report subsequently to the public health department. These persons must immediately go into quarantine for ten days. The ten days are calculated from the day of departure from the countries concerned. In addition, affected persons must be tested for coronavirus immediately before or upon entry and then again after five days. If the test is negative after five days, the quarantine can be ended prematurely.
- For persons entering North Rhine-Westphalia from all risk areas listed by the Robert Koch Institute (apart from Great Britain, South Africa and Ireland, for which the aforementioned rules apply), there is a quarantine obligation only if they do not have an entry test performed. Entry testing must be fulfilled by rapid or PCR testing within a maximum of 48 hours before entry or immediately after entry.
In addition, the Quarantine Ordinance (only in German) states that those who do not fulfill the testing requirement by rapid test but by PCR test must be quarantined until the result is received. - You can find the currently valid regulation regarding entry and return travelers from the United Kingdom, South Africa and other risk areas here: Corona entry regulation (only in German).
You can get updates on the situation on site here or via our social media channels.
Due to the special situation, we can no longer guarantee the correctness of opening and playing times on our website. If you have already bought tickets, please contact your organizer. At the moment, these precautions are essential for everyone's safety. We hope for your understanding and are sure that the situation will ease again in the foreseeable future.
Sincerely yours,
Your KölnTourismus team