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Critics of the accommodation ban are getting a headwind: After “devastating” comments from hoteliers, for example, Rhineland-Palatinate has decided not to implement the controversial regulation. Bremen must also be discussed. The Chancellor must mediate on Wednesday.
Rhineland-Palatinate is not introducing an accommodation ban at the moment. It will not go into effect on Tuesday as planned because the national debate is “extremely virulent,” Prime Minister Malu Dreyer said in Mainz after a meeting with local associations. He wants to bring the issue up to the federal states deliberations with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday. The ruling mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, and the prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, had previously expressed a similar opinion, that they will not implement the ban in their countries either.
Malu Dreyer justified his withdrawal with “devastating” comments, for example, from hoteliers in Rhineland-Palatinate. “Until this debate is over, we will not apply these regulations,” said the Prime Minister, who, like federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn, spoke in favor of a national regulation. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Chancellor Merkel will listen to arguments from all sides. But these are state regulations.
The Mayor of Bremen, Andreas Bovenschulte, also sees the need for a debate. Private vacation travel is not the problem of the corona pandemic, he told the “t-online” news portal. The SPD politician criticized the regulation as “an expression of small states.” In a big city like Bremen, 100,000 people commute to work daily, and tens of thousands leave, he said. “That is the real challenge of controlling the infection rate in densely populated metropolitan areas. Instead, valuable testing capabilities are used to screen tourists before their vacation.”
The first lawsuits are emerging
In most federal states, the rule applies that people from regions with more than 50 new infections per 100,000 can only stay in a hotel within a week if they can show a current corona test with a negative result. This is often criticized for being disproportionate and the use of testing capabilities is also criticized. A Harz hotelier is already demanding the regulation. The Brandenburg hotel and restaurant association (Dehoga) is also examining legal measures.
“The chaos at the beginning of the autumn holidays shows once again that a coordinated approach by the federal and state governments is more urgent than ever,” added criticism from the German Tourism Association. “The dangers do not lie in spending the night in a vacation home in the country or in a hotel in a city,” said Association President Reinhard Meyer. “Travel within Germany, including overnight stays, must remain permitted and possible.”
“Private celebrations are drivers of the pandemic”
According to Saarland Economy Minister Anke Rehlinger, the accommodation ban should be analyzed. Hoteliers could hardly do justice to the regulations in practical implementation: “We will soon have to deal with too large and ever-changing number of counties that are considered risk areas,” Rehlinger said. One day a guest said that he wouldn’t have to do it the next day because his district was no longer a risk area and the other way around: “How should the hotel industry keep track of things?”
In addition, one must ask whether the accommodation ban “still makes any sense.” Because traveling within Germany is currently not the biggest problem with the spread of the virus. “That made sense when the goal was to contain an outbreak in a single district. But now we are dealing with more than 20, and the number is increasing every day,” Rehlinger said. “At the moment, the main drivers of pandemics are private parties.” You should try to end this, and not the hotels that work with hygiene concepts consistent with pandemics.
During consultations with Merkel, the head of the government of Rhineland-Palatinate, Dreyer, also wants to further limit private celebrations. It would be “a real sign” if the number of participants in private parties were reduced again, to 25 or less, Dreyer said.
