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Avoid the biggest gatherings, ease the hospitals – this is what the proposed ban on firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is all about. While the SPD prime ministers support the proposal, their Union colleagues want to appeal to reason.
One thing is clear: the holidays will be different this year due to the corona pandemic, but it is unclear: how different? On Wednesday, the prime ministers of the federal states want to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss how to proceed in the pandemic. A planned New Year’s Eve fireworks ban foresees discussions in advance.
It is already becoming clear that the measure can hardly be enforced, especially as powerful federal states oppose it at the Ministerial Presidents Conference (MPK). The seven federal states led by the Union, unlike the seven states led by the SPD, reject the ban on New Year’s Eve fighters. The sale and carrying of fireworks should not be prohibited, says a newspaper quoted by the dpa news agency. Instead, there should be an appeal and a ban on fireworks in crowded places.
The measure to ban the sale, purchase and lighting of fireworks came from the mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller. In the proposal document, the measure was justified, among other things, by the fact that it would relieve emergency and auxiliary workers, as well as hospitals and avoid larger groups.
“Perfect Corona Cocktail”
The interior minister of the most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul, spoke out against it, but the municipalities would have to decide. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said at the ARDChristmas should be “freer”, “but New Year’s Eve should be more consistent”. By December 31, he wants to ban firecrackers or alcohol in the big squares. “But there is no need for a blanket ban on firecrackers.”
The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, also does not consider a ban necessary. “That we completely ban certain things, like firecrackers or New Year’s Eve rockets, that is, I think, unthinkable.” This is not necessary to avoid crowds, said the CDU politician. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer also has a clear opinion: “Fireworks should be possible on New Year’s Eve despite Corona,” he told “Bild”.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, however, relies on the New Year’s Eve fireworks ban. “I am very sure that on Wednesday the ban on firecrackers will be decided,” said the “Rheinische Post” politician. The appeals were not enough. “Wherever fireworks are allowed, people gather, drink and embrace. It’s the perfect corona cocktail,” Lauterbach said. “And two weeks later, the state would have to complain about the next wave of infections as evidence of the government’s failure. No one can want that.”
The ban is supported by the population
The proposed ban has the approval of the public: Almost two-thirds of German citizens (64 percent) are in favor of banning New Year’s Eve fireworks 2020/21 due to the Corona crisis, according to a recent poll by the institute of Yougov opinion research. 25 percent currently reject a ban, ten percent did not provide any information. Participants were asked whether they would approve or reject a ban on fireworks “this year due to the crown-related overload of the healthcare system and hospitals.”
Warning voices from industry and commerce
The police union (GdP) warned – referring to the situation in the capital Berlin – that these were not demands that sound pretty, but above all of viability. A ban is not enough, said GdP country chief Norbert Cioma. “People should be prevented from buying pyrotechnics and the security authorities should be equipped so that they can punish violations. This is not the case currently,” Cioma warned. “Many of them still had supplies from the last few years and they heard the truth that due to a lack of vehicles, we were unable to have even more radio vehicles on the road on New Year’s Eve.”
The industry also criticized the proposed ban on fireworks: The Pyrotechnic Industry Association (VPI) has warned of the bankruptcy of an entire industry and the loss of up to 3,000 jobs. VPI Managing Director Klaus Gotzen told the portal “t-online.de”: manufacturers made “more than 90 percent of annual turnover in the last three days around New Year’s Eve; without the business of On New Year’s Eve, the fireworks industry threatens to end. ” Gotzen said of the threatening consequences that there could be “no more fireworks in Germany.” According to the association, the firecracker industry recorded sales of around 130 million euros last year.
The trade also warned: Stefan Genth, general manager of the German Trade Association (HDE), told the publishing network in Germany that there could be no “additional burden on hospitals” if used correctly. “A ban could end up making consumers more likely to use illegal fireworks on the black market.”
Ban firecrackers in the old town of Cologne
Despite the many voices of warning and doubt, some municipalities have already announced that they will implement the controversial measure. For example, Cologne wants to ban firecrackers on New Year’s Eve, at least in the old town. If not, wait for additional country requirements. Mayor Herniette Reker said there should be an ad campaign for responsible celebrations on New Year’s Eve, similar to the 11/11 campaign. In the traditional start of the carnival, celebrities, among others, had asked to stay home this time.
Germany’s biggest New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin has already been canceled, but the ZDF show should be.
