Overview
- Authorities in multiple regions suspended in‑person classes, with Hamburg offering emergency care for pupils up to grade six and parts of Lower Saxony moving to distance learning for Friday.
- Under the Wegerisiko principle, weather delays do not excuse absence, pay can be reduced for missed hours, and employers are not generally obliged to allow remote work.
- If schools or kindergartens close, parents may stay home for childcare and commonly continue to receive pay for short periods unless employment or collective agreements exclude it.
- Municipal statutes assign winter duties largely to property owners, often passed to tenants by contract, with typical clearing windows around 07:00–20:00 on weekdays and later starts on Sundays and holidays.
- Cities warn that fines for failing to clear or grit sidewalks vary widely—rising to several thousand euros in many areas and, according to a Hamburg city portal, up to €50,000 in severe cases—while guidance favors sand or grit over salt and urges extra caution on roads and paths.