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Sunday October 25, 2020
The Berlin districts of Neukölln and Mitte are among the ten regions of Germany most affected by the corona pandemic. Police are checking to see if there is a new mask requirement in the capital, including on shopping streets.
Hundreds of policemen checked compliance with the rules of the crown in Berlin. About 1,000 police officers should be on duty Saturday, half of the federal police. In the evening, the emergency services broke up a fetish party with around 600 guests. However, the majority of Berliners played by the rules, according to an initial midterm evaluation. Checks are also scheduled for this Sunday.
About 80 to 90 percent of Berliners and guests had worn mouth and nose protection and maintained the required safety distances, according to a joint press release from the Berlin police and the federal police. Towards night, however, it was evident that the acceptance of wearing mouth and nose protection was visibly diminishing.
During the day, compliance with the infection protection ordinance was verified, especially in weekly markets, shopping streets and green spaces. According to the information, the people without masks followed the requests of the officials almost without exception and covered their mouths and noses. A total of 23 administrative procedures for infringement had to be initiated against those who did not want to be instructed, who did not want to protect themselves or who did not have oral and nasal protection. The emergency services launched five criminal investigations, among other things for insults and resistance, as well as for falsification of documents. At night, the focus was on restaurants, bars and green and recreational areas, especially in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Mitte and Neukölln.
A fetish party with hundreds of guests at a trendy venue in Berlin-Mitte ended abruptly on Saturday night. Officials from the Berlin police and the federal police broke up the event in the Alte Münze. “There were too many for too little space,” police said later that night. The organizer awaits proceedings for violating the Infection Protection Ordinance. The minimum distance could not be maintained due to the large number of people.
Police controls target, among other things, illegal parties and the catering trade, for which a night curfew is mainly applied. Berlin Interior Senator Andreas Geisel of the SPD and Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer of the CSU had agreed to a joint effort.
Police: Very few wear masks in Neukölln
The Berlin state government had previously tightened the requirements. From the weekend, for example, mouth and nasal protection must be used in the weekly markets and in ten shopping streets. In addition, there are even stricter upper limits for private meetings.
A particularly high number of infections has recently been detected in the Berlin-Neukölln district. Karl-Marx-Straße is one of the busiest streets in the district with its shops and snacks. Sidewalk Graffiti now indicates in multiple languages that a mask is required there. On Twitter, the police wrote that a trip down the street clearly shows: “There are still very few people with face masks and nose here.” They are often unaware of Covid 19 regulations and are retrospective.
Both law enforcement offices and the police had emphasized that controls must first try to awaken understanding among citizens. Anyone who ignores prompts to wear a mask or to keep their distance, for example, should expect consequences. There are now stricter requirements for private gatherings as well: 25 people instead of 50 are allowed to meet outside and only members of a household plus a maximum of five other people indoors.
In view of the increasing number of infections, the president of the Federal Police, Dieter Romann, also urged the employees of his authority to better protect themselves from infections in the private sector. In a video message to police officers, he said 136 employees had tested positive for the virus. According to him, 1,574 federal police officers are currently in quarantine as a precaution.
