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The first Saturday of Oktoberfest is a fixed date in the annual calendar of Bavarian politicians and party friends. At 12 o’clock, the mayor hits the first mass of beer and hands it to the prime minister. After tapping, others can drink too.
As is well known, this year’s opening folklore is not like all of Oktoberfest. Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) and Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had to cancel the hiatus in April due to Corona.
However, a number of events help the people of Munich and the rest of their guests to overcome the phantom pain, so many that even in Bavaria it is debated whether too much has already been allowed.
The most visible sign: FC Bayern cannot play their first game in front of an audience at the start of the season. At first it was said that around 7,500 fans should watch the match at the Allianz Arena. But Reiter had to re-compile the plan. Given the incident, the mayor said that “it would be a bad sign to let spectators enter the stadiums.” Reiter: “It is bitter for the fans, but the crisis is not over yet.”
Despite this measure, other larger groups will gather in the city on the weekend: 50 city center inns and great restaurateurs have ordered the “WirtshausWiesn”, where specially brewed beer is served in the inns under strict requirements of hygiene and some Oktoberfest musicians play.
The city has been offering hungry showmen areas for its attractions for weeks. Retail requires that people shop in traditional clothing; those who spend money on that habit receive a beer voucher on top. And some hardcore Oktoberfest fans who want to start the event on their own will be gathering at the festival site.
Alcohol ban on Theresienwiese
However, you should do it soberly, because the city has banned alcohol throughout the day on Theresienwiese. It’s about stopping surrogate private parties. In the middle, an entry ban was also discussed.
The difficult weekend is seen as a test to face the virus in the coming weeks. Live and let live is a maxim that is often cited in Bavaria. In the crisis of the crown, it takes on a whole new meaning: Is the balance between everyday life and health protection successful? Between reasonable caution and legitimate relaxation?
The number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in a week in the state capital is 50.7 this Friday and, therefore, above the important limit value from which greater protection measures against infections are expected. Since the pandemic began, more than 10,000 people have been infected in Munich.
Virologists and politicians are more concerned with such large numbers of cities than individual peaks. In the Swabian town of Memmingen, for example, a few groups of returnees on vacation were enough to push the number up. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it was possible that a 26-year-old American woman infected several co-workers in a hotel of the armed forces and in two bars of Garmisch, the chains of contagion are not yet clear.
But beyond the spectacular cases, the practical test in everyday life is still pending. Many families in Bavaria have only returned from summer holidays for about ten days. Except in elementary schools, students and teachers had to wear masks during class. As of Monday, the mask requirement will no longer apply in class, but not in Munich, where the unpopular requirement will continue to apply due to Munich’s high values.
The analysis of the Bavarian figures by Söder and his government is as follows: in spring it was the skiers, naturally more numerous in Upper Bavaria than in Western Pomerania, who brought the virus from the hotspots. A period of relative calm followed. Then there were more family returnees, for example from Turkey or the Balkans: a group that is also strongly represented in other federal states with a lot of industry, for example in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse or North Rhine-Westphalia.
Economy and school before leisure
“There is no one in Europe who questions the word second wave,” Söder said this week. The prime minister referred to the poor numbers in neighboring countries. It is not easy in Germany either. “Corona worries some, Corona annoys others incredibly.”
Her priority: It is not advisable to follow any mood, but to take long-term care. Söder’s main objective is the recovery of the economy, as well as schools and nurseries. “Everything else is a drag.”
The chairman of the CSU parliamentary group, Thomas Kreuzer, is also concerned about the figures. A current position paper from his parliamentary group reads: “We need a risk-adjusted approach for Corona, which continues to protect vulnerable groups in particular, but at the same time allows for as much normalcy as possible vis-à-vis Corona and demands even more personal responsibility.” .
The next few days will show what that means in concrete terms. In Munich, the mayor’s crisis team can decide on new measures. In addition to their own figures, the Bavarians are also looking towards Austria, where things have now relaxed, but restrictions have recently been reintroduced. Germany has declared Vienna a risk zone, an attribution that Bavaria would like to avoid.
Clemens Wendtner, chief physician for infectious diseases at the Schwabing Clinic, expressed skepticism about a “Wiesn light”: where alcohol is drunk in groups, super-spreading events can easily arise, the virus”. However, recently there have been no such massive outbreaks in Bavaria, nor has the reopening of beer gardens or pubs and taverns had a negative effect. The corona death rate is stagnating, the situation in hospitals is relaxed.
However, it is not only Munich waiters and police officers who will be working additional shifts this weekend: Corona’s test station on Theresienwiese is also open on Sunday as an exception.
