The requirements of the current general decrees of the state of Lower Saxony must also be complied with for the council meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at 4 p.m. Mayor Klingebiel said: "We will strictly observe the requirements and the current instructions on infection protection when holding the meetings of the Administrative Committee and the City Council of Salzgitter. Clearly, important decisions still have to be made. Nevertheless, protecting the health of all those present tomorrow is our most important goal."

There are some special organizational features at the council meeting in the council chamber of the town hall in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt: Unlike usual, not every seat can be filled. A safe distance must be maintained between the council members in the council chamber and also between the visitors to the public council meeting. This results in a reduced number of people who can be in the room at the same time, despite ventilation being ensured. This applies both in the hall and in the visitors' gallery.

Visitors and representatives of the press can follow the public part of the Salzgitter City Council meeting from the visitors' gallery or in the atrium via a screen. Please note the following:

• Admission to the town hall is at 3.50 p.m. at the main entrance to the town hall in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt.
• When waiting in front of the town hall, when walking to the grandstand, in the waiting area of the atrium and in the grandstand, the minimum distance of 1.5 meters from other people must be observed.
• If there are no more seats available for the press and visitors in the gallery, other guests can watch the meeting on a screen in the atrium of the town hall.

In order to minimize the time spent in the council chamber and atrium, the agendas of the meetings of the Administrative Committee (closed session) and Salzgitter City Council (public and closed session) will be reduced to the most important items on the agenda. These now only include the approval of the minutes, the adoption of the 2018 annual financial statements, the discharge of the Lord Mayor for 2018, the acceptance of donations, a project proposal for the construction of two new schools and three daycare centers, the promotion of the 2020 district mothers and bridge builders, the 96th amendment to the land use plan and the approval of the annual financial statements. amendment of the land use plan for Salzgitter-Lebenstedt, the amendment of the Lower Saxony state spatial planning program, the construction and operation of a hydrogen electrolysis plant and a bill on the coronavirus pandemic that is not yet on the current agenda, which includes the temporary transfer of some of the Council's decision-making powers from the Council to the Administrative Committee and the Lord Mayor to ensure the city administration's ability to act during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, a new Council member is sworn in at the beginning of the Council meeting.

In contrast to other Council meetings, there will be no oral introduction or discussion of the individual agenda items tomorrow. Once the agenda has been adopted, the individual remaining agenda items will be voted on without speeches in order to limit the time spent in the hall to a minimum.

One measure to minimize contact with the public is the closure of the town hall to the public, which has already been implemented. Currently, emergency appointments are only made for cases of hardship that cannot be postponed. This was the subject of the daily briefing.

Due to the priority given to notarizing deaths and carrying out wedding appointments booked some time ago, there is a backlog in the notarization of birth announcements (birth certificates). The available emergency staff are already working at the limits of their capacity.

Klingebiel explained: "We are aware that issuing birth certificates for newborns is important, for example to apply for health insurance. Not every member of staff in the town hall can issue birth certificates. Only registrars, who have notarial duties such as issuing and certifying certificates, can do this. In this case, we are trying to increase staffing levels quickly. Nevertheless, I ask for your understanding that there may currently be delays in processing birth notifications."

Parents of newborn children should contact the registry office of the city of Salzgitter by telephone or e-mail.