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With a 7-day incidence value of 1204 per 100,000 inhabitants, the city of Stollberg is the hotspot for corona infections in Germany. What are the reasons for this and what is it like to live there?
By Anett Linke, MDR
11,500 people live in the big city of the Stollberg district in the Ore Mountains, but only a few are on the streets on Friday morning. The city has been a hotspot for corona infections across the country for days. More recently, it had an incidence value of 7 days out of 1204, according to figures from the Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs. It is difficult for the citizens and the mayor to explain how this happened.
“I am not aware of the reasons for this value,” says Mayor Marcel Schmidt. There is no quarantine nursing home or other building. “Public life in the city is currently severely curtailed and citizens are complying with applicable regulations,” Schmidt said. This is also evident in the urban landscape. Citizens also wear their masks on the street, some of which may not be one hundred percent correct.
The last fine for violating the obligation to wear mouth and nose protection was two weeks ago, according to Schmidt. However, four of the six employees are currently ill or not on duty because they have to care for their children. The mayor does not see the need to act. Citizens would adhere to the rules and, if necessary, he could receive administrative assistance from the police and armed forces.
Hotspot status surprises citizens
“I was very surprised that we are an access point,” says Detlef Busch, owner of a license plate mint in the Saxon community. He suspected the main focus of infections in the district in communities close to the border due to low border traffic. The only explanation for him is the city testing center. “Maybe it will test more people,” says Busch.
Even car dealership owner Steffen Hilmer cannot explain why Stollberg has such a high number of infections. Perhaps it is due to quarantine notices, which in his opinion are issued too late. “People can run out contagiously for too long,” says Hilmer. He would like the supermarkets to be readjusted. “I know people who go shopping five times a day,” he says. “All retirees. Can’t they have fixed hours in the morning so they don’t have to meet with workers?”
In general, Hilmer and Busch are confused by the ever-changing ordinances and general directives. “Last week, the district administrator had announced an ordinance, but it was only in effect for about two days,” Hilmer said. “Then came another new Saxon regulation.” As a citizen, you can hardly see through that. The two have not noticed a decrease in traffic since the shutdown began. But that could also be because Stollberg is a large employer for the region. Around 5,000 workers commute to the city daily.
Nursing staff failures in the clinic
The high number of infections can also be observed in the Stollberg district hospital. “Because of the catchment areas, it doesn’t have as much of a local effect,” says Gregor Hilger, the hospital’s chief physician. “We have big problems in the clinics in south-west Saxony.” Above all, the loss of nursing staff, which amounts to 30 or 40 percent, makes the district hospital believe. “We have closed rooms to distribute the nursing staff to the other rooms,” Hilger said.
The district hospital only has a small intensive care unit. Another could be spatially and technically configured, but according to Hilger there are no personnel to operate it. The district hospital has already received help from the Bundeswehr. Currently, ten soldiers are helping as non-medical assistants. “That’s a big help for us and it works really well,” says Hilger.
How the figures at Stollberg will develop in the future cannot be foreseen. “We urgently need to reduce the number of infections,” appeals the chief doctor to all residents. He hopes that the current crown restrictions will come into force in Saxony. Mayor Schmidt and the citizens look forward to it too. “The measures are not too harsh,” says retiree Heidrun Scholz. “You never know who it will reach.”
