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Berlin is the first to go: strict contact rules also apply during Christmas
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Isn’t it an exception for Berlin? These crown rules now apply in the capital
After the federal and state governments agreed on how to proceed with the crown pandemic, the Berlin Senate discussed the implementation of the measures. You can find out which rules will apply in the capital in the future here.
Berlin is the only federal state so far that does not want to relax the crown measures on Christmas days. In addition, the mask requirement in the capital will be expanded. As in NRW and Hesse, there is a special regulation for hotel accommodation.
reBerlin’s ruling mayor, Michael Müller (SPD), has prepared the population for new restrictions. “We have to have a lot of staying power to get through this pandemic time together, and we shouldn’t be out of breath right now,” Müller told a news conference Thursday night.
Much has been accomplished in recent months. “That is a hopeful development that we are seeing.” The dynamics of the autumn infection have stopped. “But we can’t rest yet.” It is an arduous journey, but the effort is worth it. “We have to continue on our way to help more people.” The basis for future decisions is the situation in the hospitals.
Before the press conference it was already known that the relaxation of contact restrictions decided by the federal and state governments should not apply during Christmas in Berlin. In Berlin, the Corona hotspot, there could be no such relief, according to Senate circles. Consequently, a maximum of five people should be allowed to gather for private meetings in Berlin during the holidays, plus children.
The federal and state governments, however, agreed on Wednesday meetings “in the family or closest friends” from December 23 to January 1 in a maximum limit of ten people plus children up to 14 years. Before that, according to the federal-state resolution, private meetings with friends, family and acquaintances should be limited to five people in their own home and another household as of December 1 due to the infection situation, with the exception of children up to 14 years.
Müller, on the other hand, announced that the five-person rule would also apply during the Christmas period. “We want to be able to gather far fewer people than what is regulated at the federal level.” The mask requirement is also being extended to “livelier streets and squares.” This means “practically” all streets in which there is “some form of public life through retail offerings, through artisan businesses” and the like. However, the regulation does not apply to residential streets.
In Berlin, however, as in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, when visiting family members during Christmas, overnight stays in hotels should also be possible, contrary to the will of Chancellor Helge Braun (CDU). Anyone going on a trip with relatives “should have the opportunity to spend the night somewhere,” Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) said on Thursday. NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) and Müller expressed a similar opinion.
Intensive care bed occupancy close to critical value
In the capital, more than 100 people have been shown to have died in connection with the new corona virus in the last week. There were 422 deaths on November 19 and 527 on Thursday, according to the latest Senate situation report. 19 more deaths have been added since Wednesday alone.
The occupancy of intensive care beds in the capital with Covid 19 patients is 24.2 percent, still close to the critical threshold of 25 percent. The Corona traffic light remains bright yellow in this area. A total of 305 Covid-19 patients were treated in intensive care units across the city on Thursday, 250 of them on artificial respiration.
