Following two weekends of , parliament on 16 December voted into law new pandemic restrictions that will largely exclude people who aren’t vaccinated from public life and force them to get tested to be able to access their workplace.
Under the latest edition of the covid-19 law, restaurants, bars, cinemas and other public venues using CovidCheck are only accessible with a vaccination or recovery certificate. A test certificate is no longer considered compliant.
Amateur sports teams or other group activities involving more than ten people are also subject to the regime, although 3G rules will apply to groups aged 12 to 19, and 2G to groups of adults.
Starting 15 January, the so-called 3G CovidCheck--vaccinated, recovered or tested--will become mandatory in the workplace.
The new rules will be in place until 28 February 2022 unless the government or lawmakers make earlier proposals to amend them.
For leisure activities, people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons can request a certificate from health authorities to exempt them from the 2G--vaccinated and recovered--limitation. They must, however, be able to provide a valid test certificate or carry out a self-test on site.
The validity of PCR tests with the new law is reduced from 72 to 48 hours, while certified antigen tests are valid for just 24 hours, down from 48.
Gatherings, contract tracing
For gatherings, new limits come into force. Groups of up to ten people can meet without specific restrictions. For events between 11 and 50 people, distancing and masks can replace CovidCheck. When seated with distancing and masks, 51 to 200 people can gather without CovidCheck.
2G CovidCheck is mandatory for gatherings of between 201 and 2,000 people with the exemption of protests, outdoor markets and public transport.
Any event with more than 2,000 people must be registered with health authorities to develop a dedicated concept.
Hospitals and other medical facilities will only be accessible with a 3G CovidCheck certificate, except in case of emergency. People seeking treatment can also take a rapid antigen test on site. External suppliers and visitors must pass the 3G CovidCheck as well as taking a rapid test.
All passengers arriving by plane in Luxembourg will be required to fill out a contact tracing form. This was previously only the case for people who had travelled for more than five hours.
Finally, the new law allows pharmacists to administer coronavirus vaccinations. Minors aged 16 and over can get vaccinated without parental consent. For teenagers aged 12 to 15, the consent of one parent suffices.
The DP, LSAP and Déi Gréng majority in parliament voted for the law, while the CSV abstained and the ADR, Déi Lénk and the Pirate Party voted against the bill.