The Federal Minister of Health fears the spread of new corona variants in autumn. He thinks it is premature to assume that the Oktoberfest “can take place the way it has always taken place”.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) does not consider the Munich Oktoberfest to be plannable at this point in time in view of possible new variants of the corona virus. “I think it will depend very much on how the pandemic situation develops,” said the SPD politician in a broadcast on Wednesday Interview by Bavarian Radio. “There is a lot to suggest that we will be dealing with Omicron variants B.A4, B.A5.”
Lauterbach went on to say that he wanted to expressly point out that this was not yet certain. But there is a certain probability – so he thinks it is quite possible that there will be outbreaks again. Under these circumstances, a “completely unprotected Oktoberfest” would be problematic because it could fuel the outbreak.
“To say now that the Oktoberfest can take place as it always did before the pandemic, I think it’s daring.” He also told the Mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter (SPD), that at this point in time it is not yet possible to make a clear commitment or rejection as far as implementation is concerned, i.e. also about the rules that will then apply.
The Greens health expert Janosch Dahmen had previously criticized the commitment to the Oktoberfest. He was not sure whether it was wise or right to “promise now that large gatherings of people should definitely be possible again in autumn,” Dahmen told Bayerischer Rundfunk on Tuesday with a view to the danger of new virus variants.
Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), on the other hand, defended the decision for the Wiesn. It is undisputed that such a large event with guests from many countries means a risk of infection, he said. But the decision was “justifiable, also in view of the current development of the corona pandemic”.