Berlin limits capacity for private parties amid jump in Covid-19 cases
According to a government website, the new rules go into effect October 3rd and include a 50-person capacity limit for private outdoor parties; the limit reduces to 25 for indoor parties. Those hosting private gatherings of ten or more will be required to write down details for all their guests in the event contact-tracing is required.
As of today, September 30th, public events, including commercial open-air parties, remain unaffected. Authorities have deemed these outdoor events, which gained popularity over the summer and purport to follow government-monitored hygiene concepts, a controllable risk factor, says thelocal.de.
Berliner Morgenpost reported last week that certain districts, like Mitte, Neukölln and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg are experiencing large surges in infections. These stem from both illegal and private parties as well as some legal events where officials claim, “… hygiene concepts are often not adhered to.” Few details as to these nightlife-related clusters have been made available. However, 20 to 35 year olds are said to be significantly affected.
The city’s coronavirus traffic light, a warning system that guides the senate’s measures to contain the virus, graduated from green to yellow in the week leading up to Tuesday (September 29th). This development is partly due to Berlin’s steep incident rate, currently the highest among all of Germany’s 16 states. This number shows that over the course of a week, 28.9 of every 100,000 inhabitants are contracting the virus.
“The lightness and recklessness of the summer are over,” said Berlin’s senator for economic affairs Ramona Pop in Tuesday evening’s press conference, before stressing the importance of tightening measures preemptively in order to avoid another city-wide lockdown.
Photo credit: Clubcomission Berlin
