Berlin Senate tightened corona rules for clubs and major events

The new corona rules, which the federal and state governments have agreed on, are expected to apply in Berlin from next Wednesday. That said Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) on Friday after a special session of the Senate.

The so-called dance pleasures are prohibited by the Senate, Clubs and discos but may remain open for the time being – but without dancing, it is only allowed to eat and drink. Despite the ban on dancing, clubs should remain cultural sites. “But it was important to me that clubs can continue to offer events such as concerts (with seats), readings, exhibitions or film screenings,” said the Berlin Senator for Culture, Klaus Lederer.

A lockdown of the clubs and discos is not off the table, however. The federal and state governments agreed on Thursday that more than 350 clubs and discos would have to close if the incidence was 7 days or more. In Berlin, the incidence is currently around 360.

According to Christian Gaebler, head of the Senate Chancellery, a change to the Infection Protection Act is necessary for a closure. That is currently a topic in the Bundestag. Should the Infection Protection Act be changed accordingly, the clubs and discos can still be closed if the 7-day incidence remains high.

The Berlin Club Commission criticized the stricter corona rules. It means a surrender to the pandemic, said the spokesman for the club commission, Lutz Leichsenring, the rbb on Friday. There are still no concepts as to how social life can also be possible under Corona conditions. He also fears that the party scene will shift to the private sphere.

Bars and pubs in Berlin don’t have to close for the time being. However, crowds should not be allowed there, explained Müller. Also the Christmas markets can remain open according to previous planning under 2G rules.

The personal upper limits for major events and contact options in the private sector will be further restricted. So can on Major events A maximum of 5,000 people take part outdoors, only 2,500 people indoors. This is even stricter than the federal and state governments had decided. That also has to do with the numerous contacts around such events, said Müller. This rule also applies to professional football matches.

Private meetings are limited to one household plus two other people, provided that at least one unvaccinated or unconcealed person takes part. That will have a big impact on the Christmas holidays, said Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller. As soon as an unvaccinated person joins private celebrations, the number of participants is drastically reduced. “Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered have significantly more freedom,” said Müller.

Under 2G, for private events, there is an upper limit of 200 people indoors and 1,000 people outdoors. A further reduction in the number of participants at private events is under discussion at the federal level, said Gaebler.

The 3G rule is expanded in Public transport services: According to Müller, the mask requirement will also apply on platforms in the future.

For Outdoor sports, which falls below the minimum distance of 1.5 meters, the 3G rule now applies, said Gäbler.

3G, on the other hand, continues to apply in office buildings in the State of Berlin, for example
in Citizenship Offices. Visitors must be vaccinated, recovered or currently tested negative.

Some rules that the federal and state governments had agreed on already apply in Berlin. This includes, for example, the general mask requirement in schools and 2G in retail: Most stores are already only accessible to vaccinated and convalescent people. A negative test result is no longer enough. “That we have already implemented it was a good signal,” said Müller.

Broadcast: evening show, December 3, 21, 7:30 p.m.

The comment function was closed on December 3rd, 2021 at 7:06 pm. The comments serve as an exchange between users and the editorial team on the topics reported. Among other things, we close the comment function if the number of comments is so large that they can no longer be moderated promptly. We also close the comment function if the comments no longer relate to the topic or a large number of the comments violate our rules Comment guidelines hurt.