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No “Alaaf” calls, no costumes and certainly no Kölsch or schnapps: the fifth season in Cologne began quietly because of the crown. Instead of colorful costumed jesters, uniformed policemen marched through the city center at 11.11 a.m. Due to the corona pandemic, all public celebrations were banned at the traditional start of the carnival session.
“The decision not to go into session and therefore a beloved part of Cologne tradition hits many people squarely in the heart,” Cologne Police Chief Uwe Jacob said Tuesday night. However, he appealed to revelers not to visit the cathedral city on Wednesday.
Demonstration against the measures of the crown in Cologne-Deutz
In the morning, several hundred checked compliance with the crown’s rules and the prohibition of alcohol throughout the city area. At the same time, the Deutz district police participated in a demonstration against the Corona measures. The recorded meeting was only allowed to take place according to the rules of distance and hygiene. Currently this means: no more than 100 participants and a strict mask requirement.
In the run-up, independent mayor Henriette Reker and festival committee chairman Christoph Kuckelkorn urged the people of Cologne to refrain from private celebrations this year and stay home. A carnival “as we know it” is not possible this year, they said. November 11, 2020 is “just a day on the calendar like any other.”
Already in September, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia finally decided to cancel all events. The Corona Protection Ordinance could not be enforced at gatherings, dances and street parades. For many carnivalistas, the circumstances are a disaster. Especially those who had been preparing for the session for months. SPIEGEL spoke to an affected person about the carnival in Corona times (“The cancellation broke my heart”).
