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Berlin plans to reopen restaurants and all stores – under strict rules

Berlin is set to allow all shops to open – and is also getting ready to restart its hospitality sector.

Published: 5 May 2020 17:32 CEST
Berlin plans to reopen restaurants and all stores – under strict rules
Department store KaDeWe opened in Berlin on May 5th. Photo: DPA

Further easing of the lockdown was decided at a meeting of the Berlin Senate on Tuesday May 5th in view of falling coronavirus infection figures.

There have been more than 6,000 Covid-19 cases in Berlin since the start of the pandemic with about 150 deaths. Around 5,200 people have reportedly recovered.

Currently only shops with a retail size under 800 square metres are permitted to open in Germany, along with certain other stores such as car dealerships and bookstores.

However, Berlin mayor Michael Müller said this restriction would be scrapped.

Without giving away the exact timetable, Müller said he wanted restaurants to reopen soon.

It may not be from Monday May 11th, but “it is becoming apparent that something could happen there very quickly during or at the end of next week,” said Müller. 

He said there would be several phases and Berlin would work with neighbouring state Brandenburg on the plan.

The German capital has also proposed to reopen sports facilities in the coming weeks.

However, all venues and restaurants that open must have strict hygiene and distancing concepts in place.

After the meeting with Merkel and state premiers on Wednesday, concrete plans will be drawn up.

Müller said despite the restart of public life, things will not return to what they were like before the coronavirus pandemic.

READ ALSO: Bavaria to reopen restaurants from May 18th as coronavirus cases drop

“It does not mean that there is no longer any danger,” he said. “It is only the last few weeks of initial restrictions that have enabled us to ease the situation a little.” Berliners will have to continue to live with rules and restrictions for a long time, he added.

Regarding the relaxing of measures in other federal states, Müller was critical: “I am concerned about what is developing nationwide.” In the past months, he said, state premiers have “remained close in the corona crisis”.

The low infection figures nationwide are a result of this “joint, clever, level-headed approach,” he said.

READ ALSO:

What could dining look like in Berlin?

When it comes to restaurants, suggested hygiene rules will likely include 1.5 meters distance between tables, staff wearing masks, disinfecting tables between guests, and guest limits for each restaurant (e.g. 10 square meters per person).

“We are ready for the opening in Berlin with a phased plan that we have worked out together with the industry. The top priority remains health protection,” Ramona Pop, senator for economic affairs, told local newspaper B.Z.

It is likely that outdoor dining will be allowed first.

An empty cafe in Berlin. Photo: DPA

Stays at restaurants could also be limited to two hours while salt and pepper shakers may not be allowed on the table.

Meanwhile, digital menus will be encouraged as well as cleaning cloths for guests.

READ ALSO: 'We have to think in phases': Is this how Germany can return to life with coronavirus?

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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