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), 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 the public space of one's own household with the members of another household with a maximum of five persons in total are permitted. Children up to and including the age of 14 are not counted.
"Corona emergency brake" in Cologne: stricter contact ban. Only persons from one household may meet with no more than one person from another household. This regulation also applies to the private sector. - There is an obligation to wear a medical mask in certain places. Insofar as children under the age of 14 cannot wear a medical mask due to the fit, an everyday mask must be worn as a substitute. The obligation to wear a medical mask exists irrespective of compliance with a minimum distance
- in enclosed premises of commercial establishments as well as in medical practices and similar establishments for the provision of medical services,
- in closed premises of museums, art exhibitions, galleries, castles, memorials and similar institutions as well as zoological gardens and animal parks,
- for permitted face-to-face educational events and examinations that take place in buildings and enclosed spaces,
- when using transport services (public transport)
- in the interior areas of other means of transport, with the exception of private vehicle use and emergency vehicles of security authorities, fire departments, rescue services and civil protection,
- when receiving and providing hairdressing services and other body-related crafts or services and training without observing the minimum distance,
- during religious services and other gatherings for the practice of religion also at the seat.
- Retail is not open to its full extent.
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Open are: Grocery stores, pick-up and delivery services, beverage markets, weekly food markets, pharmacies, health food stores, medical supply stores, baby stores, drugstores, gas stations, banks, post offices, kiosks, feed stores and pet supply stores, wholesale (for wholesale customers), flower stores and the distribution of food by social institutions (food banks).
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All other retail stores may open on the basis of access restrictions. For example, the number of customers present at any one time may not exceed one customer per forty square meters or part thereof of the sales area. In addition, access may only be granted to customers who have booked an appointment in advance. The appointment must be made for a fixed period of time and serves to ensure easy traceability.
"Corona emergency brake" in Cologne: These retail stores are currently closed. Pick-up via "Click & Collect" is possible.
- Restaurants, pubs, snack bars, cafés and other catering facilities are closed. Only the drop-off or pick-up service is allowed.
- Concerts and performances in theaters, opera houses, concert halls, cinemas and other public or private (cultural) facilities are still prohibited.
Such events are only permitted outdoors if the performers keep a minimum distance of 2 meters and the spectators follow the event from their living quarters (so-called window concerts). - Cultural facilities as well as leisure and entertainment venues
- Further prohibited is the operation of: Swimming pools, fun pools, tanning salons, saunas and spas and similar establishments, indoor playgrounds and similar establishments for recreational activities, amusement arcades, casinos and similar establishments, clubs, discotheques and similar establishments, brothels, prostitution establishments and similar establishments, excursions by ships, carriages, historical railroads and similar establishments.
- It is again possible to visit museums, art exhibitions, galleries, castles, memorials and similar institutions - with prior booking of appointments and with ensured simple traceability. In closed premises, the number of visitors present at the same time may not exceed one person per 20 square meters of the area open to visitors.
"Corona Emergency Brake" in Cologne: These facilities are currently closed.
Similarly, with prior appointment booking and with traceability secured, visits to zoological gardens and zoos are again permitted. Here, too, the number of visitors present at the same time in closed premises may not exceed one person per 20 square meters.
"Corona Emergency Brake" in Cologne: The Cologne Zoo is currently closed.
- Services and crafts for which a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from the customer cannot be maintained (in particular hairdressing services, facial treatment, cosmetics, pedicure, nail studios, manicure, massage, tattooing and piercing, but also taking measurements at the alteration tailor) are permitted subject to strict compliance with hygiene requirements of the Corona Protection Ordinance.
- All information can be found here: Ordinance (only in German).
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 when there is a high risk of being infected. 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:
- An obligation to wear a medical mask in public spaces, wherever many people meet and the distance of 1.5 meters can not 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).
- It is not permitted to remove the mask for smoking.
- In all other cases, the mask may be removed only in urgent cases.
- The special obligation to wear a medical mask exists:
- in commercial establishments (closed premises such as supermarkets, gas stations, stores of craftsmen, etc.)
- in public transport (also at railroad stations and stops)
- at religious services and meetings of religious communities
- in doctors' surgeries and similar establishments providing medical services
- at voluntary or communal transport services, for example to vaccination centers,
- in the use and provision of services close to the body,
- in the case of permissible presence educational offers and examinations.
- Where masks are compulsory in public areas, consumption of food and alcohol is prohibited. Also from Saturday, there will be a ban on loitering around the Historic Town Hall and the Spanish Building - on Gülichplatz, Alter Markt and Theo-Burauen-Platz - from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
- In public spaces, alcohol consumption is prohibited in the following places from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day:
- Old Town
- Stadtgarten and surroundings
- Brüsseler Platz and surrounding streets
- Schaafenstraße and surroundings
- Zülpicher Quarter
- Rhine Boulevard/Rhine Promenade on the right bank of the Rhine
- 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 a so-called "virus variant area" is required to report subsequently to the public health department. These persons must immediately go into quarantine for fourteen days. The fourteen days are counted 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.
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.
- The currently valid regulation regarding entry and return travelers from states classified as risk areas can be found 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
