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The third wave of pandemics will break during Easter. That is the plan of the federal and state governments. To make this work, the holidays have been extended to include two rest days on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday (also known as Easter Saturday in colloquial terms). What does that mean for the millions of employees who would normally have worked in those days?
In general, the resolutions imply that stores will be closed on Holy Thursday (April 1) and Holy Saturday (April 3), which are not holidays. Only the “grocery store strictly speaking” should be open on Saturday. The gastronomy will also be closed if it was allowed to reopen due to relaxation measures decided in early March. The vaccination and testing centers will remain open.
Under the Working Hours Act, employees who must still work on days off are entitled to a substitute day off, which must be granted within eight weeks. This year, this should also apply to work on Holy Thursday and Easter Saturday.
According to the “AfA Rechtsanwälte” law firm, which specializes in labor law, this also applies to people who work in the home office anyway due to the pandemic situation. However, it remains to be seen “whether there will continue to be resistance from business associations.” A lawyer for the firm points out, however, that depending on the implementation of the measures in the federal states, it may very well happen that “there are different regulations at the national level.”
In certain industries, days off are normal. For example, in hairdressers that close on Mondays, but also in museums or restaurants.
According to the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, Holy Thursday should be a full day of rest. That should also apply to companies and businesses, says Kretschmann in Stuttgart. It is not yet clear how exactly this will be implemented. Simply in terms of time, it is not possible to regulate the holiday law, as this would have to be implemented by all 16 federal states. Now it is being verified whether Maundy Thursday can be declared a day of rest through the Infection Protection Law.
The federated states are responsible for the precise design and implementation of the measures taken. According to Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD), the heads of state chancelleries will advise on the details of additional days off during the day. A new consultation of the prime ministers is also possible on Tuesday evening.
Meetings will be prohibited during the five days off and holidays, and churches will be asked to only hold virtual services. Holy Week, the most important holiday for Christians, takes place for the second time this year, mainly in small and private groups. Already last year almost all religious services were canceled or celebrated digitally due to the pandemic.
