Dear Cologne visitor,
in November 2020, the rapidly increasing number of corona infections in North Rhine-Westphalia will make it necessary to significantly restrict public and private life. 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.
- A minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be maintained to all persons in public areas. This distance may only be undercut in exceptional cases. These exceptions include: when persons from a maximum of two households meet, but this exception applies to a maximum of 10 persons.
- Everyday masks must always be worn if the minimum distance cannot be maintained.
- 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.
The supply of food as well as the sale of food outside the premises is permitted if the minimum distances and hygiene requirements are observed. - 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)
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). - Breaches of the Corona Protection Ordinance are punished by the competent authorities as administrative offences as follows: Administrative offences.
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 mouth-nose cover (everyday mask) in public places exists wherever many people meet and the distance of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained. Everyone who is on foot in pedestrian zones and shopping streets must wear a mask from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- In public spaces, only people from a maximum of two households may meet. A total of ten people from the two households may then meet.
- From 10 p.m. onwards there is a ban on alcohol consumption in public places.
- On weekends (Friday 8 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m.) the ban on selling alcohol applies in the following places: Old Town, Stadtgarten and surroundings, Brüsseler Platz and surrounding streets, Schaafenstraße and surroundings, Zülpicher Viertel, Rheinboulevard/Rheinpromenade on the right bank of the Rhine.
This also applies to supermarkets and kiosks. - It is strongly discouraged to have private parties in your own flat. Here, too, a limitation to a maximum of ten people seems sensible.
- In retail the following square metre rule applies: ten square metres per customer.
- On November 11 (6 a.m.) to November 12 (6 a.m.) there will be a ban on alcohol consumption and sale in public spaces within the Cologne city limits.
- All information can be found here: Restrictions in public life (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).
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Accommodation offers for tourist purposes are prohibited until November 30, 2020.
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Travellers entering from abroad and who have been in a risk area within the last ten days before entry are obliged to enter a ten-day quarantine immediately after entry. An overview of the current risk areas can be found here: risk areas.
In principle, you are obliged to inform the responsible local health authority before entering the country using the new digital entry declaration. A COVID-19 test to end the quarantine is possible from the fifth day after entry at the earliest. If symptoms appear within ten days of entry despite a negative result, the local health authority must be informed and a new test carried out.
You can find the currently valid regulation regarding entry and return travelers 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