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Germany’s Bundesliga: ‘All clubs’ preparing to host fans for new season

All 36 clubs in Germany's top two football leagues are preparing plans to welcome back small number of home fans when the new 2020/21 Bundesliga season starts on September 18, the league's chief revealed Thursday.

Germany's Bundesliga: 'All clubs' preparing to host fans for new season
Cardboard cutouts of fans in a stadium in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia on June 27th. Photo: DPA

“All the clubs have prepared documents and are in talks with the (health) authorities,” said Christian Seifert, chief executive of the German Football League (DFL) after a virtual meeting of the clubs.

However, the return of fans to watch live football relies on the rate of infection of the coronavirus staying low and due to the uncertainty, Seifert anticipates “a demanding and difficult season”.

READ ALSO: All eyes on Germany as Bundesliga football returns

Earlier this week, Champions League semi-finalists RB Leipzig paved the way after being given permission by their local health authority to host 8,500 home fans.

That means 20 percent of their stadium's capacity can watch live their first home game of the new Bundesliga season on September 20th against Mainz, but only home fans are allowed.

Now Leipzig's German league rivals, including holders Bayern Munich who kick-off the new season at home to Schalke on September 18th, are following suit by holding similar discussions with the respective authorities in their area.

However, it is proving controversial in Germany.

In mid-August, senior politicians refused to back the proposed hygiene measures by the German Football League to allow fans back into stadiums.

“That would be the wrong signal,” said Germany's health minister Jens Spahn at the time.

That meant each club having to approach their respective health authority, responsible for the measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19, in order to get permission.

The return of fans is the subject of fierce debate in Germany, where numbers of new infections are slowly rising.

“The questions as to whether supporters in Bundesliga stadiums sends the wrong signs are absolutely justified,” admitted Seifert.

READ ALSO: Germany's Bundesliga issues guidelines for fans' return to stadiums

However, he offered a counter-argument that it could be a “sign that thousands of people want to, and can adhere to, rules of conduct” by following hygiene measures.

There are already fears that some clubs could be barred from hosting home supporters, potentially putting them at a disadvantage.”It makes a difference whether a club has 10,000 or 15,000 spectators in the stadium and other clubs have 500. Then there is no longer a level playing field,” warned Wolfsburg's managing director Jörg Schmadtke.

The German Football Association (DFB) has already sanctioned the return of a limited number of fans for the first round of German Cup matches from September 11th-14th, providing each host clubs' local health authority gives the go-ahead.

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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?

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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